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  • Government shutdown enters fourth week, affecting federal workers, services, economy

    The government shutdown is entering a fourth week as Democrats and Republicans blame each other for holding the country “hostage.” Caught in the middle, federal workers, government services, and the economy are all feeling the impact. Previous shutdowns have seen reduced overall economic growth, disproportionately affecting certain industries. National parks and museums remain closed, flight delays are mounting, and backlogs for new small business loans and flood insurance renewals are growing.Republicans continue to accuse Democrats of blocking paychecks by refusing to reopen the government, while Democrats argue that Republicans are unwilling to negotiate over the core issue of health care funding. “Congressional Democrats seem to want to keep the government shut down even though it would mean that a lot of you would not get your paycheck,” Vice President JD Vance said in remarks to an audience of Marines celebrating the 250th anniversary Saturday.Democrats pushed back in “No Kings” protests across the country.”They’re the ones acting like children refusing to negotiate with Democrats in the Senate who they know have to vote for a budget in order for it to become law,” Sen. Chris Murphy said in an interview Saturday.The shutdown has had a sizable impact as uncertainty weighs on the federal workforce. Under the Trump administration’s direction, federal agencies have been planning not just furloughs but also permanent layoffs. However, a federal judge has temporarily blocked the firings, deeming them potentially illegal.Public perception of who is to blame has been roughly evenly split. A new Associated Press poll finds that a majority, about 6 in 10 Americans, blame President Donald Trump and Republicans for the shutdown. An even larger majority, three-quarters of Americans, believe both sides deserve at least a “moderate” share of the blame, suggesting that no one has truly escaped responsibility for the shutdown.Watch the latest coverage on the federal government shutdown:

    WASHINGTON —

    The government shutdown is entering a fourth week as Democrats and Republicans blame each other for holding the country “hostage.” Caught in the middle, federal workers, government services, and the economy are all feeling the impact.

    Previous shutdowns have seen reduced overall economic growth, disproportionately affecting certain industries.

    National parks and museums remain closed, flight delays are mounting, and backlogs for new small business loans and flood insurance renewals are growing.

    Republicans continue to accuse Democrats of blocking paychecks by refusing to reopen the government, while Democrats argue that Republicans are unwilling to negotiate over the core issue of health care funding.

    “Congressional Democrats seem to want to keep the government shut down even though it would mean that a lot of you would not get your paycheck,” Vice President JD Vance said in remarks to an audience of Marines celebrating the 250th anniversary Saturday.

    Democrats pushed back in “No Kings” protests across the country.

    “They’re the ones acting like children refusing to negotiate with Democrats in the Senate who they know have to vote for a budget in order for it to become law,” Sen. Chris Murphy said in an interview Saturday.

    The shutdown has had a sizable impact as uncertainty weighs on the federal workforce. Under the Trump administration’s direction, federal agencies have been planning not just furloughs but also permanent layoffs. However, a federal judge has temporarily blocked the firings, deeming them potentially illegal.

    Public perception of who is to blame has been roughly evenly split. A new Associated Press poll finds that a majority, about 6 in 10 Americans, blame President Donald Trump and Republicans for the shutdown. An even larger majority, three-quarters of Americans, believe both sides deserve at least a “moderate” share of the blame, suggesting that no one has truly escaped responsibility for the shutdown.

    Watch the latest coverage on the federal government shutdown:

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  • Thieves strike Louvre in daring jewel heist

    In a brazen, seven-minute strike, thieves used a basket lift to reach the Louvre on Sunday morning and, as tourists were already inside, forced a window, smashed display cases and fled with jewels of “inestimable value,” France’s interior minister said.The world’s most visited museum closed for the day as police sealed gates and ushered visitors out during the investigation.“A robbery took place this morning at the opening of the Louvre Museum,” Culture Minister Rachida Dati wrote on X. The museum cited “exceptional reasons” for the closure. No injuries were reported.Around 9:30 a.m. several intruders forced open a window, stole jewels from vitrines and escaped on two-wheelers, according to the Interior Ministry. It said forensic work is underway and a precise inventory of the stolen objects is being compiled, adding that the items have “inestimable” historical value. Dati and Nuñez were on site with museum leadership.Video from the scene showed confused tourists being ushered out of the glass pyramid and surrounding courtyards as officers shut the iron gates and closed nearby streets along the Seine.Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez called it a “major robbery,” saying the intruders entered from the outside using a basket lift. He said on France Inter radio that the heist took seven minutes and the thieves used a disc cutter to slice through the panes. He said it was “manifestly a team that had done scouting.”The heist occurred in the Galerie d’Apollon, a vaulted hall in the Denon wing that displays part of the French Crown Jewels beneath a ceiling painted by King Louis XIV’s court artist, according to the ministry.French daily Le Parisien reported the thieves entered via the Seine-facing facade, where construction is underway, and used a freight elevator to reach the gallery. After breaking windows, they reportedly took nine pieces from the jewelry collection of Napoleon and the Empress. One stolen jewel was later found outside the museum, the paper reported, adding that the item was believed to be Empress Eugénie’s crown and that it had been broken.Security and staffing at the Louvre in the spotlightSecurity around marquee works remains tight. The Mona Lisa is protected by bulletproof glass and a custom high-tech display system as part of broader anti-theft measures across the museum.Staffing and protection have been flashpoints at the Louvre. The museum delayed opening during a June staff walkout over overcrowding and chronic understaffing. Unions have warned that mass tourism strains security and visitor management.It wasn’t immediately clear whether staffing levels played any role in Sunday’s theft.In January, President Emmanuel Macron announced a decadelong “Louvre New Renaissance” plan — roughly €700 million to modernize infrastructure, ease crowding and give the Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece its own dedicated gallery by 2031 — but workers say relief has been slow to reach the floor.Other European museums have been robbedThe theft, less than half an hour after doors opened, echoes other recent European museum raids.In 2019, thieves smashed vitrines in Dresden’s Green Vault and carried off diamond-studded royal jewels worth hundreds of millions of euros. In 2017, burglars at Berlin’s Bode Museum stole a 100-kilogram (220-pound) solid-gold coin. In 2010, a lone intruder slipped into Paris’s Museum of Modern Art and escaped with five paintings, including a Picasso.The Louvre has a long history of thefts and attempted robberies. The most famous came in 1911, when the Mona Lisa vanished from its frame, stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia, a former worker who hid inside the museum and walked out with the painting under his coat. It was recovered two years later in Florence — an episode that helped make Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait the world’s best-known artwork.Home to more than 33,000 works spanning antiquities, sculpture and painting — from Mesopotamia, Egypt and the classical world to European masters — the Louvre’s star attractions include the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. The museum can draw up to 30,000 visitors a day.

    PARIS —

    In a brazen, seven-minute strike, thieves used a basket lift to reach the Louvre on Sunday morning and, as tourists were already inside, forced a window, smashed display cases and fled with jewels of “inestimable value,” France’s interior minister said.

    The world’s most visited museum closed for the day as police sealed gates and ushered visitors out during the investigation.

    “A robbery took place this morning at the opening of the Louvre Museum,” Culture Minister Rachida Dati wrote on X. The museum cited “exceptional reasons” for the closure. No injuries were reported.

    Around 9:30 a.m. several intruders forced open a window, stole jewels from vitrines and escaped on two-wheelers, according to the Interior Ministry. It said forensic work is underway and a precise inventory of the stolen objects is being compiled, adding that the items have “inestimable” historical value. Dati and Nuñez were on site with museum leadership.

    Video from the scene showed confused tourists being ushered out of the glass pyramid and surrounding courtyards as officers shut the iron gates and closed nearby streets along the Seine.

    Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez called it a “major robbery,” saying the intruders entered from the outside using a basket lift. He said on France Inter radio that the heist took seven minutes and the thieves used a disc cutter to slice through the panes. He said it was “manifestly a team that had done scouting.”

    The heist occurred in the Galerie d’Apollon, a vaulted hall in the Denon wing that displays part of the French Crown Jewels beneath a ceiling painted by King Louis XIV’s court artist, according to the ministry.

    French daily Le Parisien reported the thieves entered via the Seine-facing facade, where construction is underway, and used a freight elevator to reach the gallery. After breaking windows, they reportedly took nine pieces from the jewelry collection of Napoleon and the Empress. One stolen jewel was later found outside the museum, the paper reported, adding that the item was believed to be Empress Eugénie’s crown and that it had been broken.

    Security and staffing at the Louvre in the spotlight

    Security around marquee works remains tight. The Mona Lisa is protected by bulletproof glass and a custom high-tech display system as part of broader anti-theft measures across the museum.

    Staffing and protection have been flashpoints at the Louvre. The museum delayed opening during a June staff walkout over overcrowding and chronic understaffing. Unions have warned that mass tourism strains security and visitor management.

    It wasn’t immediately clear whether staffing levels played any role in Sunday’s theft.

    In January, President Emmanuel Macron announced a decadelong “Louvre New Renaissance” plan — roughly €700 million to modernize infrastructure, ease crowding and give the Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece its own dedicated gallery by 2031 — but workers say relief has been slow to reach the floor.

    Other European museums have been robbed

    The theft, less than half an hour after doors opened, echoes other recent European museum raids.

    In 2019, thieves smashed vitrines in Dresden’s Green Vault and carried off diamond-studded royal jewels worth hundreds of millions of euros. In 2017, burglars at Berlin’s Bode Museum stole a 100-kilogram (220-pound) solid-gold coin. In 2010, a lone intruder slipped into Paris’s Museum of Modern Art and escaped with five paintings, including a Picasso.

    The Louvre has a long history of thefts and attempted robberies. The most famous came in 1911, when the Mona Lisa vanished from its frame, stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia, a former worker who hid inside the museum and walked out with the painting under his coat. It was recovered two years later in Florence — an episode that helped make Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait the world’s best-known artwork.

    Home to more than 33,000 works spanning antiquities, sculpture and painting — from Mesopotamia, Egypt and the classical world to European masters — the Louvre’s star attractions include the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. The museum can draw up to 30,000 visitors a day.

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  • ‘No Kings’ protests against Trump planned across the nation today

    Protesting the direction of the country under President Donald Trump, people gathered Saturday in the nation’s capital and communities across the U.S. for “ No Kings ” demonstrations — what the president’s Republican Party is calling “Hate America” rallies.They rallied with signs like “Nothing is more patriotic than protesting” or “Resist Fascism,” and in many places it looked more like a street party. There were marching bands, a huge banner with the U.S. Constitution’s “We The People,” preamble that people could sign, and protesters in frog costumes, which have emerged as a sign of resistance in Portland, Oregon.This is the third mass mobilization since Trump’s return to the White House and comes against the backdrop of a government shutdown that not only has closed federal programs and services, but is testing the core balance of power as an aggressive executive confronts Congress and the courts in ways that organizers warn are a slide toward American authoritarianism.Demonstrators packed places like New York City’s Times Square, the historic Boston Commons, Chicago’s Grant Park, Washington, D.C., and hundreds of smaller public spaces.Many protesters were especially angered by attacks on their motives. In Washington, Brian Reymann said being called a terrorist all week by Republicans was “pathetic.”“This is America. I disagree with their politics — but I don’t believe that they don’t love this country. I believe they are misguided. I think they are power hungry,” Reymann said, carrying a large American flag.Trump himself is spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.“They say they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” Trump said in a Fox News interview airing early Friday, before he departed for a $1 million-per-plate MAGA Inc. fundraiser at his club. Protests are expected nearby Saturday.Organizers hope to build opposition movementMore than 2,600 rallies are planned Saturday in cities large and small, organized by hundreds of coalition partners.“Big rallies like this give confidence to people who have been sitting on the sidelines but are ready to speak up,” Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy said in an interview with The Associated Press.While protests earlier this year — against Elon Musk’s cuts in the spring and Trump’s June military parade — drew crowds, organizers say this one is uniting the opposition. Top Democrats such as Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders are joining in what organizers view as an antidote to Trump’s actions, from the administration’s clampdown on free speech to its military-style immigration raids.“There is no greater threat to an authoritarian regime than patriotic people-power,” said Ezra Levin, a co-founder of Indivisible, among the key organizers. In April, the national march against Trump and Elon Musk had 1,300 registered locations. In June, for the first “No Kings” day, there were 2,100 registered locations.Before noon, several thousand people had gathered in Times Square, chanting “Trump must go now,” and waving sometimes-profane signs with slogans insulting the president and condemning his immigration crackdown. Some people carried American flags.Retired family doctor Terence McCormally was heading to Arlington National Cemetery to join others walking across the Memorial Bridge that enters Washington directly in front of the Lincoln Memorial. He said the recent deployment of the National Guard made him more wary of police than in the past.“I really don’t like the crooks and conmen and religious zealots who are trying to use the country” for personal gain, McCormally said, “while they are killing and hurting millions of people with bombs.”Republicans denounce ‘Hate America’ ralliesRepublicans have sought to portray Saturday’s protesters as far outside the mainstream and a prime reason for the government shutdown, now in its 18th day.From the White House to Capitol Hill, GOP leaders disparaged the rallygoers as “communists” and “Marxists.” They say Democratic leaders, including Schumer, are beholden to the far-left flank and willing to keep the government shut down to appease those liberal forces.“I encourage you to watch — we call it the Hate America rally — that will happen Saturday,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.“Let’s see who shows up for that,” Johnson said, listing groups including “antifa types,” people who “hate capitalism” and “Marxists in full display.”Many demonstrators responded to such hyperbole with silliness in part because they say Trump leans heavily on theatrics — like claiming cities he sends troops to are war zones — said Glen Kalbaugh, a Washington protester.“So much of what we’ve seen from this administration has been so unserious and silly that we have to respond with the same energy,” said Kalbaugh, who wore a wizard hat and held a sign with a frog on it.Democrats try to regain their footingDemocrats have refused to vote on legislation that would reopen the government as they demand funding for health care. Republicans say they are willing to discuss the issue later, only after the government reopens.But for many Democrats, the government closure is also a way to stand up to Trump, and try to push the presidency back to its place in the U.S. system as a co-equal branch of government. It’s also a way to draw a moral line in the sand, said Murphy, the senator from Connecticut.“Trump does think that he’s a king,” Murphy said at the Washington rally, “and he thinks that he can act more corruptly when the government is shut down. But he cannot.”The situation is a potential turnaround from just six months ago, when Democrats and their allies were divided and despondent. Schumer in particular was berated by his party for allowing an earlier government funding bill to sail through the Senate without using it to challenge Trump.“What we are seeing from the Democrats is some spine,” said march organizer Levin. “The worst thing the Democrats could do right now is surrender.”___Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Kevin Freking, and Chris Megerian in Washington, Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, and Safiya Riddle in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed to this report.

    WASHINGTON —

    Protesting the direction of the country under President Donald Trump, people gathered Saturday in the nation’s capital and communities across the U.S. for “ No Kings ” demonstrations — what the president’s Republican Party is calling “Hate America” rallies.

    They rallied with signs like “Nothing is more patriotic than protesting” or “Resist Fascism,” and in many places it looked more like a street party. There were marching bands, a huge banner with the U.S. Constitution’s “We The People,” preamble that people could sign, and protesters in frog costumes, which have emerged as a sign of resistance in Portland, Oregon.

    This is the third mass mobilization since Trump’s return to the White House and comes against the backdrop of a government shutdown that not only has closed federal programs and services, but is testing the core balance of power as an aggressive executive confronts Congress and the courts in ways that organizers warn are a slide toward American authoritarianism.

    Demonstrators packed places like New York City’s Times Square, the historic Boston Commons, Chicago’s Grant Park, Washington, D.C., and hundreds of smaller public spaces.

    Many protesters were especially angered by attacks on their motives. In Washington, Brian Reymann said being called a terrorist all week by Republicans was “pathetic.”

    “This is America. I disagree with their politics — but I don’t believe that they don’t love this country. I believe they are misguided. I think they are power hungry,” Reymann said, carrying a large American flag.

    Trump himself is spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.

    “They say they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” Trump said in a Fox News interview airing early Friday, before he departed for a $1 million-per-plate MAGA Inc. fundraiser at his club. Protests are expected nearby Saturday.

    Organizers hope to build opposition movement

    More than 2,600 rallies are planned Saturday in cities large and small, organized by hundreds of coalition partners.

    “Big rallies like this give confidence to people who have been sitting on the sidelines but are ready to speak up,” Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy said in an interview with The Associated Press.

    While protests earlier this year — against Elon Musk’s cuts in the spring and Trump’s June military parade — drew crowds, organizers say this one is uniting the opposition. Top Democrats such as Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders are joining in what organizers view as an antidote to Trump’s actions, from the administration’s clampdown on free speech to its military-style immigration raids.

    “There is no greater threat to an authoritarian regime than patriotic people-power,” said Ezra Levin, a co-founder of Indivisible, among the key organizers. In April, the national march against Trump and Elon Musk had 1,300 registered locations. In June, for the first “No Kings” day, there were 2,100 registered locations.

    Before noon, several thousand people had gathered in Times Square, chanting “Trump must go now,” and waving sometimes-profane signs with slogans insulting the president and condemning his immigration crackdown. Some people carried American flags.

    Retired family doctor Terence McCormally was heading to Arlington National Cemetery to join others walking across the Memorial Bridge that enters Washington directly in front of the Lincoln Memorial. He said the recent deployment of the National Guard made him more wary of police than in the past.

    “I really don’t like the crooks and conmen and religious zealots who are trying to use the country” for personal gain, McCormally said, “while they are killing and hurting millions of people with bombs.”

    Republicans denounce ‘Hate America’ rallies

    Republicans have sought to portray Saturday’s protesters as far outside the mainstream and a prime reason for the government shutdown, now in its 18th day.

    From the White House to Capitol Hill, GOP leaders disparaged the rallygoers as “communists” and “Marxists.” They say Democratic leaders, including Schumer, are beholden to the far-left flank and willing to keep the government shut down to appease those liberal forces.

    “I encourage you to watch — we call it the Hate America rally — that will happen Saturday,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

    “Let’s see who shows up for that,” Johnson said, listing groups including “antifa types,” people who “hate capitalism” and “Marxists in full display.”

    Many demonstrators responded to such hyperbole with silliness in part because they say Trump leans heavily on theatrics — like claiming cities he sends troops to are war zones — said Glen Kalbaugh, a Washington protester.

    “So much of what we’ve seen from this administration has been so unserious and silly that we have to respond with the same energy,” said Kalbaugh, who wore a wizard hat and held a sign with a frog on it.

    Democrats try to regain their footing

    Democrats have refused to vote on legislation that would reopen the government as they demand funding for health care. Republicans say they are willing to discuss the issue later, only after the government reopens.

    But for many Democrats, the government closure is also a way to stand up to Trump, and try to push the presidency back to its place in the U.S. system as a co-equal branch of government. It’s also a way to draw a moral line in the sand, said Murphy, the senator from Connecticut.

    “Trump does think that he’s a king,” Murphy said at the Washington rally, “and he thinks that he can act more corruptly when the government is shut down. But he cannot.”

    The situation is a potential turnaround from just six months ago, when Democrats and their allies were divided and despondent. Schumer in particular was berated by his party for allowing an earlier government funding bill to sail through the Senate without using it to challenge Trump.

    “What we are seeing from the Democrats is some spine,” said march organizer Levin. “The worst thing the Democrats could do right now is surrender.”

    ___

    Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Kevin Freking, and Chris Megerian in Washington, Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, and Safiya Riddle in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed to this report.

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  • US developer builds homes for displaced Ukrainians, offering hope despite war and crisis

    The Russian invasion of Ukraine has displaced millions, scattering families across the country and abroad. For many, heavy fighting in the east means crowded shelters, borrowed beds and fading hope.Related video above: President Trump signals he’s holding back on long-range missiles for UkraineAbout 400 miles west of the front line, however, a privately built settlement near Kyiv offers a rare reprieve: stable housing, personal space and the dignity of a locked door.This is Hansen Village. Its rows of modular homes provide housing for 2,000 people who are mostly displaced from occupied territories. Children ride bikes along paved lanes, passing amenities like a swimming pool, basketball court, health clinic and school.The village is the creation of Dell Loy Hansen, a Utah real estate developer who has spent over $140 million building and repairing homes across Ukraine since 2022.At 72, he’s eager to do more.A new missionHansen’s arrival in Ukraine followed a public reckoning. In 2020, he sold his Major League Soccer team, Real Salt Lake, after reports that he made racist comments. He denied the allegations in an interview with The Associated Press but said the experience ultimately gave him a new mission.“I went through something painful, but it gave me humility,” he said. “That humility led me to Ukraine.”Seeing people lose everything, Hansen said he felt compelled to act. “This isn’t charity to me, it’s responsibility,” he said. “If you can build, then build. Don’t just watch.”Hansen now oversees more than a dozen projects in Ukraine: expanding Hansen Village, providing cash and other assistance to elderly people and families, and supporting a prosthetics clinic.He’s planning a cemetery to honor displaced people, and a not-for-profit affordable housing program designed to be scaled up nationally.Ukraine’s housing crisis is staggering. Nearly one in three citizens have fled their homes, including 4.5 million registered as internally displaced.Around the eastern city of Dnipro, volunteers convert old buildings into shelters as evacuees arrive daily from the war-torn Donbas region. One site — a crumbling Soviet-era dorm — now houses 149 elderly residents, mostly in their seventies and eighties.Funding comes from a patchwork of donations: foreign aid, local charities and individual contributions including cash, volunteer labor or old appliances and boxes of food, all put together to meet urgent needs.“I call it begging: knocking on every door, and explaining why each small thing is necessary,” said Veronika Chumak, who runs the center. “But we keep going. Our mission is to restore people’s sense of life.”Valentina Khusak, 86, was evacuated by charity volunteers from Myrnohrad, a coal-mining town, after Russian shelling cut off water and power. She lost her husband and son before the war.“Maybe we’ll return home, maybe not,” she said. “What matters is that places like this exist — where the old and lonely are treated with warmth and respect.”A nation under strainUkraine’s government is struggling to fund shelters and repairs as its relief budget buckles under relentless missile and drone attacks on infrastructure.By late 2024, 13% of Ukrainian homes were damaged or destroyed, according to a U.N.-led assessment. The cost of national reconstruction is estimated to be $524 billion, nearly triple the country’s annual economic output.Since June, Ukraine has evacuated over 100,000 more people from the east, expanding shelters and transit hubs. New evacuees are handed an emergency government subsidy payment of $260.Yevhen Tuzov, who helped thousands find shelter during the 2022 siege of Mariupol, said many feel forgotten.“Sometimes six strangers must live together in one small room,” Tuzov said. “For elderly people, this is humiliating.“What Hansen is doing is great — to build villages — but why can’t we do that too?”’People here don’t need miracles’Hansen began his work after visiting Ukraine in early 2022. He started by wiring cash aid to families, then used his decades of experience to build modular housing.Mykyta Bogomol, 16, lives in foster care apartments at Hansen Village with seven other children and two dogs. He fled the southern Kherson region after Russian occupation and flooding.“Life here is good,” he said. “During the occupation, it was terrifying. Soldiers forced kids into Russian schools. Here, I finally feel safe.”Hansen visits Ukraine several times a year. From Salt Lake City, he spends hours daily on video calls, tracking war updates, coordinating aid, and lobbying U.S. lawmakers.“I’ve built homes all my life, but nothing has meant more to me than this,” he said. “People here don’t need miracles — just a roof, safety, and someone who doesn’t give up on them.”A fraction of what’s neededLast year, Hansen sold part of his businesses for $14 million — all of it, he said, went to Ukraine.Still, his contribution is a fraction of what’s needed. With entire towns uninhabitable, private aid remains vital but insufficient.Hansen has met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who thanked him for supporting vulnerable communities. Later this year, Hansen will receive one of Ukraine’s highest civilian honors — an award he says is not for himself.“I don’t need recognition,” he said. “If this award makes the elderly and displaced more visible, then it means something. Otherwise, it’s just a medal.” Associated Press journalists Volodymyr Yurchuk in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Vasilisa Stepanenko and Dmytro Zhyhinas in Pavlohrad, Ukraine, contributed to this report.

    TARASIVKA, Ukraine —

    The Russian invasion of Ukraine has displaced millions, scattering families across the country and abroad. For many, heavy fighting in the east means crowded shelters, borrowed beds and fading hope.

    Related video above: President Trump signals he’s holding back on long-range missiles for Ukraine

    About 400 miles west of the front line, however, a privately built settlement near Kyiv offers a rare reprieve: stable housing, personal space and the dignity of a locked door.

    This is Hansen Village. Its rows of modular homes provide housing for 2,000 people who are mostly displaced from occupied territories. Children ride bikes along paved lanes, passing amenities like a swimming pool, basketball court, health clinic and school.

    The village is the creation of Dell Loy Hansen, a Utah real estate developer who has spent over $140 million building and repairing homes across Ukraine since 2022.

    At 72, he’s eager to do more.

    A new mission

    Hansen’s arrival in Ukraine followed a public reckoning. In 2020, he sold his Major League Soccer team, Real Salt Lake, after reports that he made racist comments. He denied the allegations in an interview with The Associated Press but said the experience ultimately gave him a new mission.

    “I went through something painful, but it gave me humility,” he said. “That humility led me to Ukraine.”

    Seeing people lose everything, Hansen said he felt compelled to act. “This isn’t charity to me, it’s responsibility,” he said. “If you can build, then build. Don’t just watch.”

    Hansen now oversees more than a dozen projects in Ukraine: expanding Hansen Village, providing cash and other assistance to elderly people and families, and supporting a prosthetics clinic.

    He’s planning a cemetery to honor displaced people, and a not-for-profit affordable housing program designed to be scaled up nationally.

    Ukraine’s housing crisis is staggering. Nearly one in three citizens have fled their homes, including 4.5 million registered as internally displaced.

    Around the eastern city of Dnipro, volunteers convert old buildings into shelters as evacuees arrive daily from the war-torn Donbas region. One site — a crumbling Soviet-era dorm — now houses 149 elderly residents, mostly in their seventies and eighties.

    Funding comes from a patchwork of donations: foreign aid, local charities and individual contributions including cash, volunteer labor or old appliances and boxes of food, all put together to meet urgent needs.

    “I call it begging: knocking on every door, and explaining why each small thing is necessary,” said Veronika Chumak, who runs the center. “But we keep going. Our mission is to restore people’s sense of life.”

    Valentina Khusak, 86, was evacuated by charity volunteers from Myrnohrad, a coal-mining town, after Russian shelling cut off water and power. She lost her husband and son before the war.

    “Maybe we’ll return home, maybe not,” she said. “What matters is that places like this exist — where the old and lonely are treated with warmth and respect.”

    A nation under strain

    Ukraine’s government is struggling to fund shelters and repairs as its relief budget buckles under relentless missile and drone attacks on infrastructure.

    By late 2024, 13% of Ukrainian homes were damaged or destroyed, according to a U.N.-led assessment. The cost of national reconstruction is estimated to be $524 billion, nearly triple the country’s annual economic output.

    Since June, Ukraine has evacuated over 100,000 more people from the east, expanding shelters and transit hubs. New evacuees are handed an emergency government subsidy payment of $260.

    Yevhen Tuzov, who helped thousands find shelter during the 2022 siege of Mariupol, said many feel forgotten.

    “Sometimes six strangers must live together in one small room,” Tuzov said. “For elderly people, this is humiliating.

    “What Hansen is doing is great — to build villages — but why can’t we do that too?”

    ‘People here don’t need miracles’

    Hansen began his work after visiting Ukraine in early 2022. He started by wiring cash aid to families, then used his decades of experience to build modular housing.

    Mykyta Bogomol, 16, lives in foster care apartments at Hansen Village with seven other children and two dogs. He fled the southern Kherson region after Russian occupation and flooding.

    “Life here is good,” he said. “During the occupation, it was terrifying. Soldiers forced kids into Russian schools. Here, I finally feel safe.”

    Hansen visits Ukraine several times a year. From Salt Lake City, he spends hours daily on video calls, tracking war updates, coordinating aid, and lobbying U.S. lawmakers.

    “I’ve built homes all my life, but nothing has meant more to me than this,” he said. “People here don’t need miracles — just a roof, safety, and someone who doesn’t give up on them.”

    A fraction of what’s needed

    Last year, Hansen sold part of his businesses for $14 million — all of it, he said, went to Ukraine.

    Still, his contribution is a fraction of what’s needed. With entire towns uninhabitable, private aid remains vital but insufficient.

    Hansen has met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who thanked him for supporting vulnerable communities. Later this year, Hansen will receive one of Ukraine’s highest civilian honors — an award he says is not for himself.

    “I don’t need recognition,” he said. “If this award makes the elderly and displaced more visible, then it means something. Otherwise, it’s just a medal.”

    Associated Press journalists Volodymyr Yurchuk in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Vasilisa Stepanenko and Dmytro Zhyhinas in Pavlohrad, Ukraine, contributed to this report.

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  • ‘No Kings’ protests against Trump planned across the nation today

    Protesting the direction of the country under President Donald Trump, people will gather Saturday in the nation’s capital and communities across the U.S. for “No Kings” demonstrations — what the president’s Republican Party is calling “Hate America” rallies.This is the third mass mobilization since Trump’s return to the White House and it is expected to be the largest. It comes against the backdrop of a government shutdown that not only has closed federal programs and services, but is testing the core balance of power as an aggressive executive confronts Congress and the courts in ways that organizers warn are a slide toward American authoritarianism.Trump himself is away from Washington at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.“They say they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” Trump said in a Fox News interview airing early Friday. He later departed for a $1 million-per-plate MAGA Inc. super PAC fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago. Protests are expected nearby Saturday.While the earlier protests this year — against Elon Musk’s cuts in spring, then to counter Trump’s military parade in June — drew crowds, organizers say this one is building a more unified opposition movement. Top Democrats such as Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders are joining in what organizers view as an antidote to Trump’s actions, from the administration’s clampdown on free speech to its military-style immigration raids.“There is no greater threat to an authoritarian regime than patriotic people-power,” said Ezra Levin, a co-founder of Indivisible, among the key organizers.As Republicans and the White House dismiss the protests as a rally of radicals, Levin said their own sign-up numbers are growing. More than 2,600 rallies are planned in cities large and small, organized by hundreds of coalition partners. They said rallies are being planned within a one-hour drive for most Americans.Overseas, a few hundred Americans already gathered in Madrid to chant slogans and hold signs at a protest organized by Democrats Abroad, with similar rallies planned in other major European cities.Republicans have sought to portray participants in Saturday’s rallies as far outside the mainstream of American politics, and a main reason for the prolonged government shutdown, now in its 18th day.From the White House to Capitol Hill, GOP leaders disparaged the rallygoers as “communists” and “Marxists.”They say Democratic leaders, including Schumer, are beholden to the far-left flank and willing to keep the government shut down to appease those liberal forces.“I encourage you to watch — we call it the Hate America rally — that will happen Saturday,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.“Let’s see who shows up for that,” Johnson said, listing groups including “antifa types,” people who “hate capitalism” and “Marxists in full display.”Democrats have refused to vote on legislation that would reopen the government as they demand funding for health care. Republicans say they are willing to discuss the issue later, only after the government reopens.But for many Democrats, the government closure is also a way to stand up to Trump, and try to push the presidency back to its place in the U.S. system as a co-equal branch of government.In a Facebook post, Sanders of Vermont, himself a former presidential contender, said, “It’s a love America rally.”“It’s a rally of millions of people all over this country who believe in our Constitution, who believe in American freedom and,” he said, pointing at the GOP leadership, “are not going to let you and Donald Trump turn this country into an authoritarian society.”The situation is a potential turnaround from just six months ago, when Democrats and their allies were divided and despondent, unsure about how best to respond to Trump’s return to the White House. Schumer in particular was berated by his party for allowing an earlier government funding bill to sail through the Senate without using it to challenge Trump.In April, the national march against Trump and Elon Musk had 1,300 registered locations. In June, for the first “No Kings” day, there were 2,100 registered locations. The march Saturday will have more than 2,600 registered locations, Levin said.“What we are seeing from the Democrats is some spine,” Levin said. “The worst thing the Democrats could do right now is surrender.”House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he wasn’t sure if he would join the rallygoers Saturday, but he took issue with the Republicans’ characterization of the events.“What’s hateful is what happened on January 6th,” he said, referring to the 2021 Capitol attack, as Trump’s supporters stormed the building to protest Joe Biden’s election victory. “What you’ll see this weekend is what patriotism looks like, people showing up to express opposition to the extremism that Donald Trump has been unleashing on the American people.”Riddle reported from Montgomery, Alabama. Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed.

    WASHINGTON —

    Protesting the direction of the country under President Donald Trump, people will gather Saturday in the nation’s capital and communities across the U.S. for “No Kings” demonstrations — what the president’s Republican Party is calling “Hate America” rallies.

    This is the third mass mobilization since Trump’s return to the White House and it is expected to be the largest. It comes against the backdrop of a government shutdown that not only has closed federal programs and services, but is testing the core balance of power as an aggressive executive confronts Congress and the courts in ways that organizers warn are a slide toward American authoritarianism.

    Trump himself is away from Washington at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.

    “They say they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” Trump said in a Fox News interview airing early Friday. He later departed for a $1 million-per-plate MAGA Inc. super PAC fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago. Protests are expected nearby Saturday.

    While the earlier protests this year — against Elon Musk’s cuts in spring, then to counter Trump’s military parade in June — drew crowds, organizers say this one is building a more unified opposition movement. Top Democrats such as Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders are joining in what organizers view as an antidote to Trump’s actions, from the administration’s clampdown on free speech to its military-style immigration raids.

    “There is no greater threat to an authoritarian regime than patriotic people-power,” said Ezra Levin, a co-founder of Indivisible, among the key organizers.

    As Republicans and the White House dismiss the protests as a rally of radicals, Levin said their own sign-up numbers are growing. More than 2,600 rallies are planned in cities large and small, organized by hundreds of coalition partners. They said rallies are being planned within a one-hour drive for most Americans.

    Overseas, a few hundred Americans already gathered in Madrid to chant slogans and hold signs at a protest organized by Democrats Abroad, with similar rallies planned in other major European cities.

    Republicans have sought to portray participants in Saturday’s rallies as far outside the mainstream of American politics, and a main reason for the prolonged government shutdown, now in its 18th day.

    From the White House to Capitol Hill, GOP leaders disparaged the rallygoers as “communists” and “Marxists.”

    They say Democratic leaders, including Schumer, are beholden to the far-left flank and willing to keep the government shut down to appease those liberal forces.

    “I encourage you to watch — we call it the Hate America rally — that will happen Saturday,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

    “Let’s see who shows up for that,” Johnson said, listing groups including “antifa types,” people who “hate capitalism” and “Marxists in full display.”

    Democrats have refused to vote on legislation that would reopen the government as they demand funding for health care. Republicans say they are willing to discuss the issue later, only after the government reopens.

    But for many Democrats, the government closure is also a way to stand up to Trump, and try to push the presidency back to its place in the U.S. system as a co-equal branch of government.

    In a Facebook post, Sanders of Vermont, himself a former presidential contender, said, “It’s a love America rally.”

    “It’s a rally of millions of people all over this country who believe in our Constitution, who believe in American freedom and,” he said, pointing at the GOP leadership, “are not going to let you and Donald Trump turn this country into an authoritarian society.”

    The situation is a potential turnaround from just six months ago, when Democrats and their allies were divided and despondent, unsure about how best to respond to Trump’s return to the White House. Schumer in particular was berated by his party for allowing an earlier government funding bill to sail through the Senate without using it to challenge Trump.

    In April, the national march against Trump and Elon Musk had 1,300 registered locations. In June, for the first “No Kings” day, there were 2,100 registered locations. The march Saturday will have more than 2,600 registered locations, Levin said.

    “What we are seeing from the Democrats is some spine,” Levin said. “The worst thing the Democrats could do right now is surrender.”

    House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he wasn’t sure if he would join the rallygoers Saturday, but he took issue with the Republicans’ characterization of the events.

    “What’s hateful is what happened on January 6th,” he said, referring to the 2021 Capitol attack, as Trump’s supporters stormed the building to protest Joe Biden’s election victory. “What you’ll see this weekend is what patriotism looks like, people showing up to express opposition to the extremism that Donald Trump has been unleashing on the American people.”

    Riddle reported from Montgomery, Alabama. Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed.

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  • 4 people were killed and 20 more were injured in a shooting at a bar in South Carolina, sheriff says

    A mass shooting at a crowded bar on an idyllic South Carolina island has left four people dead and at least 20 injured, officials say.The shooting occurred early Sunday at Willie’s Bar and Grill on St. Helena Island, officials said. A large crowd was at the scene when sheriff’s deputies arrived and found several people suffering from gunshot wounds.“Multiple victims and witnesses ran to the nearby businesses and properties seeking shelter from the gun shots,” the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on the social media platform X.“This is a tragic and difficult incident for everyone. We ask for your patience as we continue to investigate this incident. Our thoughts are with all of the victims and their loved ones,” the statement said.Four people were found dead at the scene, and at least 20 other people were injured. Among the injured, four were in critical condition at area hospitals.The victims’ identities were not released.“COMPLETELY HEARTBROKEN to learn about the devastating shooting in Beaufort County,” U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace posted on X. “Our prayers are with the victims, their families, and everyone impacted by this horrific act of violence.”St. Helena Island is considered the largest Gullah community on the South Carolina coast. An estimated 5,000 or more people living there are descended from slaves who worked rice plantations in the area before they were freed by the Civil War.Smaller enclaves of Gullah, referred to as Geechee in some areas, are scattered along the Southeast coast from North Carolina to Florida. Scholars say separation from the mainland caused the Gullah to retain much of their African heritage, including a unique dialect and skills such as cast-net fishing and basket weaving.

    BEAUFORT, S.C. —

    A mass shooting at a crowded bar on an idyllic South Carolina island has left four people dead and at least 20 injured, officials say.

    The shooting occurred early Sunday at Willie’s Bar and Grill on St. Helena Island, officials said. A large crowd was at the scene when sheriff’s deputies arrived and found several people suffering from gunshot wounds.

    “Multiple victims and witnesses ran to the nearby businesses and properties seeking shelter from the gun shots,” the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on the social media platform X.

    “This is a tragic and difficult incident for everyone. We ask for your patience as we continue to investigate this incident. Our thoughts are with all of the victims and their loved ones,” the statement said.

    Four people were found dead at the scene, and at least 20 other people were injured. Among the injured, four were in critical condition at area hospitals.

    The victims’ identities were not released.

    “COMPLETELY HEARTBROKEN to learn about the devastating shooting in Beaufort County,” U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace posted on X. “Our prayers are with the victims, their families, and everyone impacted by this horrific act of violence.”

    St. Helena Island is considered the largest Gullah community on the South Carolina coast. An estimated 5,000 or more people living there are descended from slaves who worked rice plantations in the area before they were freed by the Civil War.

    Smaller enclaves of Gullah, referred to as Geechee in some areas, are scattered along the Southeast coast from North Carolina to Florida. Scholars say separation from the mainland caused the Gullah to retain much of their African heritage, including a unique dialect and skills such as cast-net fishing and basket weaving.

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  • 4 people were killed and 20 more were injured in a shooting at a bar in South Carolina, sheriff says

    A mass shooting at a crowded bar on an idyllic South Carolina island has left four people dead and at least 20 injured, officials say.The shooting occurred early Sunday at Willie’s Bar and Grill on St. Helena Island, officials said. A large crowd was at the scene when sheriff’s deputies arrived and found several people suffering from gunshot wounds.“Multiple victims and witnesses ran to the nearby businesses and properties seeking shelter from the gun shots,” the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on the social media platform X.“This is a tragic and difficult incident for everyone. We ask for your patience as we continue to investigate this incident. Our thoughts are with all of the victims and their loved ones,” the statement said.Four people were found dead at the scene, and at least 20 other people were injured. Among the injured, four were in critical condition at area hospitals.The victims’ identities were not released.“COMPLETELY HEARTBROKEN to learn about the devastating shooting in Beaufort County,” U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace posted on X. “Our prayers are with the victims, their families, and everyone impacted by this horrific act of violence.”

    BEAUFORT, S.C. —

    A mass shooting at a crowded bar on an idyllic South Carolina island has left four people dead and at least 20 injured, officials say.

    The shooting occurred early Sunday at Willie’s Bar and Grill on St. Helena Island, officials said. A large crowd was at the scene when sheriff’s deputies arrived and found several people suffering from gunshot wounds.

    “Multiple victims and witnesses ran to the nearby businesses and properties seeking shelter from the gun shots,” the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on the social media platform X.

    “This is a tragic and difficult incident for everyone. We ask for your patience as we continue to investigate this incident. Our thoughts are with all of the victims and their loved ones,” the statement said.

    Four people were found dead at the scene, and at least 20 other people were injured. Among the injured, four were in critical condition at area hospitals.

    The victims’ identities were not released.

    “COMPLETELY HEARTBROKEN to learn about the devastating shooting in Beaufort County,” U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace posted on X. “Our prayers are with the victims, their families, and everyone impacted by this horrific act of violence.”

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  • New Hampshire police chase moose out of downtown areas

    New Hampshire police chase moose out of downtown areas

    THEY SAY WERE HIDDEN IN THE TALL GRASS. YOU’VE HEARD OF POLICE CHASES, BUT THIS ONE IS UNIQUE. TAKE A LOOK AT THIS VIDEO. HERE YOU CAN SEE A MOOSE BEING CHASED DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET BY A POLICE CAR. POLICE RESPONDED TO REPORTS OF THIS MOOSE RUNNING AROUND DOWNTOWN. WITH THE HELP OF FISH AND GAME, OFFICERS WERE ABLE TO GET THAT MOOSE AWAY FROM ANY NEIGHBORHOODS, BUT YOU CAN SEE IT WAS RUNNING VERY FAST. HOPEFULLY THAT MOOSE IS OKAY. THAT’S A HIGH SPEED CHASE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE RIGHT THERE. YEAH, THAT’S WHAT WE GOT. POLICE OUT IN THE WOODS SOMEWHERE DEEP AND AWAY FROM PEOPLE, AW

    The Keene Police Department in New Hampshire responded to an unusual call downtown Sunday. Police said they received reports of a moose that had wandered into the city. Video shows the moose being followed by a police cruiser as officers used lights and sirens to safely guide it out of residential areas. New Hampshire Fish and Game assisted Keene police to ensure the animal stayed away.Fish and Game officials remind the public to give moose plenty of space if they encounter one.

    The Keene Police Department in New Hampshire responded to an unusual call downtown Sunday.

    Police said they received reports of a moose that had wandered into the city.

    Video shows the moose being followed by a police cruiser as officers used lights and sirens to safely guide it out of residential areas.

    New Hampshire Fish and Game assisted Keene police to ensure the animal stayed away.

    Fish and Game officials remind the public to give moose plenty of space if they encounter one.

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  • Biden starts radiation therapy for aggressive form of prostate cancer

    Shocking health announcement coming from the Biden family. Former President Joe Biden diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones. His personal office releasing this statement on Sunday saying Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for *** new finding of *** prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms. On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. By *** Gleason score of 9 with metastasis to the bone. While this represents *** more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone sensitive, which allows for effective management. The statement went on to say that the 82-year-old and his family are reviewing treatment options. The fact that we’re told that this is metastatic now, the 5 year survival rate on average is about 33%. So you know there are some people that do well and some people that don’t do well. The American Cancer Society estimates 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. Because there’s such *** high volume, there’s *** lot of research dedicated to its treatment. Medical experts say cancer that has spread to *** patient’s bones can add further complications. Biden, as I said, has always lived his life. In the public eye and has always thought there was *** value in showing other people going through difficult times. His former Vice President Kamala Harris posting this on X. Joe is *** fighter, and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership. We are hopeful for *** full and speedy recovery. I’m Jen Sullivan reporting.

    Former President Joe Biden has started radiation therapy as part of his treatment for prostate cancer, a spokesperson for the former president told CNN.Video above from May 2025: Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer”As part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, President Biden is currently undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment,” the spokesperson said.The news was first reported by NBC News. A spokesperson for the former president, who turns 83 next month, did not give a timeline for the treatment.Biden’s personal office revealed in May that he had been diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones.”The expectation is we’re going to be able to beat this,” Biden told CNN in his first comments about the diagnosis two weeks after he received it. “It’s not in any organ, it’s in – my bones are strong, it hadn’t penetrated. So, I’m feeling good.”He added that he had started a pill regimen to treat the cancer.Last month, Biden had Mohs surgery, an operation used to remove skin cancer lesions. In that procedure, thin layers of skin are removed and examined under a microscope until the doctor sees no signs of skin cancer cells. It’s typically used to treat cancerous lesions that have returned after previous treatment, are fast-growing, or are in important areas like the face, hands or genitals.In 2023, while president, Biden had a lesion removed from his chest, which later tested positive for basal cell carcinoma. At the time, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, who served as Biden’s physician in the White House, said “all cancerous tissue was successfully removed” and Biden would continue “dermatological surveillance.”Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer. It’s slow-growing and usually curable.

    Former President Joe Biden has started radiation therapy as part of his treatment for prostate cancer, a spokesperson for the former president told CNN.

    Video above from May 2025: Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer

    “As part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, President Biden is currently undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment,” the spokesperson said.

    The news was first reported by NBC News. A spokesperson for the former president, who turns 83 next month, did not give a timeline for the treatment.

    Biden’s personal office revealed in May that he had been diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones.

    “The expectation is we’re going to be able to beat this,” Biden told CNN in his first comments about the diagnosis two weeks after he received it. “It’s not in any organ, it’s in – my bones are strong, it hadn’t penetrated. So, I’m feeling good.”

    He added that he had started a pill regimen to treat the cancer.

    Last month, Biden had Mohs surgery, an operation used to remove skin cancer lesions. In that procedure, thin layers of skin are removed and examined under a microscope until the doctor sees no signs of skin cancer cells. It’s typically used to treat cancerous lesions that have returned after previous treatment, are fast-growing, or are in important areas like the face, hands or genitals.

    In 2023, while president, Biden had a lesion removed from his chest, which later tested positive for basal cell carcinoma. At the time, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, who served as Biden’s physician in the White House, said “all cancerous tissue was successfully removed” and Biden would continue “dermatological surveillance.”

    Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer. It’s slow-growing and usually curable.

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  • Biden starts radiation therapy for aggressive form of prostate cancer

    Shocking health announcement coming from the Biden family. Former President Joe Biden diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones. His personal office releasing this statement on Sunday saying Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for *** new finding of *** prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms. On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. By *** Gleason score of 9 with metastasis to the bone. While this represents *** more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone sensitive, which allows for effective management. The statement went on to say that the 82-year-old and his family are reviewing treatment options. The fact that we’re told that this is metastatic now, the 5 year survival rate on average is about 33%. So you know there are some people that do well and some people that don’t do well. The American Cancer Society estimates 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. Because there’s such *** high volume, there’s *** lot of research dedicated to its treatment. Medical experts say cancer that has spread to *** patient’s bones can add further complications. Biden, as I said, has always lived his life. In the public eye and has always thought there was *** value in showing other people going through difficult times. His former Vice President Kamala Harris posting this on X. Joe is *** fighter, and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership. We are hopeful for *** full and speedy recovery. I’m Jen Sullivan reporting.

    Former President Joe Biden has started radiation therapy as part of his treatment for prostate cancer, a spokesperson for the former president told CNN.Video above from May 2025: Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer”As part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, President Biden is currently undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment,” the spokesperson said.The news was first reported by NBC News. A spokesperson for the former president, who turns 83 next month, did not give a timeline for the treatment.Biden’s personal office revealed in May that he had been diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones.”The expectation is we’re going to be able to beat this,” Biden told CNN in his first comments about the diagnosis two weeks after he received it. “It’s not in any organ, it’s in – my bones are strong, it hadn’t penetrated. So, I’m feeling good.”He added that he had started a pill regimen to treat the cancer.Last month, Biden had Mohs surgery, an operation used to remove skin cancer lesions. In that procedure, thin layers of skin are removed and examined under a microscope until the doctor sees no signs of skin cancer cells. It’s typically used to treat cancerous lesions that have returned after previous treatment, are fast-growing, or are in important areas like the face, hands or genitals.In 2023, while president, Biden had a lesion removed from his chest, which later tested positive for basal cell carcinoma. At the time, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, who served as Biden’s physician in the White House, said “all cancerous tissue was successfully removed” and Biden would continue “dermatological surveillance.”Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer. It’s slow-growing and usually curable.

    Former President Joe Biden has started radiation therapy as part of his treatment for prostate cancer, a spokesperson for the former president told CNN.

    Video above from May 2025: Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer

    “As part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, President Biden is currently undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment,” the spokesperson said.

    The news was first reported by NBC News. A spokesperson for the former president, who turns 83 next month, did not give a timeline for the treatment.

    Biden’s personal office revealed in May that he had been diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones.

    “The expectation is we’re going to be able to beat this,” Biden told CNN in his first comments about the diagnosis two weeks after he received it. “It’s not in any organ, it’s in – my bones are strong, it hadn’t penetrated. So, I’m feeling good.”

    He added that he had started a pill regimen to treat the cancer.

    Last month, Biden had Mohs surgery, an operation used to remove skin cancer lesions. In that procedure, thin layers of skin are removed and examined under a microscope until the doctor sees no signs of skin cancer cells. It’s typically used to treat cancerous lesions that have returned after previous treatment, are fast-growing, or are in important areas like the face, hands or genitals.

    In 2023, while president, Biden had a lesion removed from his chest, which later tested positive for basal cell carcinoma. At the time, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, who served as Biden’s physician in the White House, said “all cancerous tissue was successfully removed” and Biden would continue “dermatological surveillance.”

    Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer. It’s slow-growing and usually curable.

    Source link

  • Woman who lost her ability to speak due to ALS got it back in an unexpected way

    KCCI EIGHT NEWS AT TEN. A NORWALK WOMAN WHO LOST HER VOICE TO ALS GOT IT BACK IN AN UNEXPECTED WAY. KCCI ABIGAIL CURTIN SPOKE WITH HER THIS EVENING. ABIGAIL, TELL US A LITTLE MORE ABOUT HER STORY. WELL, THIS IS A PRETTY INCREDIBLE STORY, AND THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT PEOPLE CAN STRUGGLE WITH WHEN THEY HAVE ALS. MUSCLE WEAKNESS. DIFFICULTY EATING, EATING, AND COMMUNICATING. THOSE CAN BE HARD. AND THOSE ARE JUST SOME OF THE STRUGGLES THAT ROBIN LEEPER HAS HAD TO OVERCOME SINCE SHE WAS DIAGNOSED BACK IN 2023. BUT NEW TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN ABLE TO EASE SOME OF THAT STRUGGLE AND GIVE HER A PART OF HERSELF BACK. WHEN ROBIN LEEPER WAS DIAGNOSED WITH ALS IN 2023, IT WAS ONE OF THE HARDEST MOMENTS OF HER LIFE. BUT WHEN SHE LOST HER ABILITY TO TALK, IT WAS EVEN HARDER. I CRIED, AND FOR THE FIRST YEAR I COULDN’T EVEN SAY ALS WITHOUT CRYING. AT THE TIME, SHE WAS THE PARKS AND REC DIRECTOR FOR THE CITY OF NORWALK. FOR A WHILE, SHE TRIED OTHER FORMS OF COMMUNICATION LIKE TEXT TO SPEECH, SOFTWARE OR SIGN LANGUAGE. BUT THAT’S WHERE THE CITY’S MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST, TY LUE, CAME IN. WE HAVE FIVE SWIMMING POOLS. SHE COMBED THROUGH HOURS OF PUBLIC MEETINGS, RECORDS ISOLATING CLIPS OF ROBIN SPEAKING FROM WHEN SHE STILL COULD. FROM THERE, SHE UPLOADED THEM INTO AN AI SOFTWARE TO RECREATE ROBIN’S VOICE, WHICH SHE USED TO ACCEPT. NORWALK CITIZEN OF THE YEAR AWARD. I AM TRULY, DEEPLY HUMBLED AND GRATEFUL FOR THIS RECOGNITION. IT SOUNDED AS IF SHE WAS JUST STANDING THERE SPEAKING ON HER OWN. IN FACT, I HAD SEVERAL PEOPLE SAY I DIDN’T REALIZE THAT SHE WAS PLAYING A RECORDING OF HER VOICE. BUT FOR LEEPER, IT WASN’T JUST EXCITING TO BE ABLE TO HEAR HER OWN VOICE AGAIN. IT WAS A CHANCE TO FEEL LIKE HERSELF AGAIN. IT’S YOUR IDENTITY. PEOPLE CAN HEAR YOUR VOICE WITHOUT SEEING YOUR FACE, AND THEY KNOW THAT’S YOU. AS FOR WHAT’S NEXT, SHE’S GOT A NEW PRIORITY. FINDING A CURE. BOXHOLM. LIKE I SAID, A PRETTY INCREDIBLE STORY. AND SPEAKING OF FINDING A CURE, LEEPER WILL BE AT THIS SATURDAY’S WALK TO DEFEAT ALS IN ALTOONA. FOR MORE DETAILS ON THAT WALK AND HOW YOU CAN HELP SUPPORT LEEPER. BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THIS STORY ON KCCI.COM. FIRST OF ALL, AN AMAZING EXAMPLE OF THE GOOD THAT TECHNOLOGY CAN DO. ABSOLUTELY A CREDIT TO EVERYBODY WHO HELPED THIS HAPPEN. AND ROBIN, YOU KNOW, WE’RE THINKING OF YOU AND ADMIRE YOUR STRENGTH. AND I KNO

    Woman who lost her ability to speak due to ALS got it back in an unexpected way

    Updated: 4:02 AM PDT Oct 11, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    An Iowa woman who lost her ability to speak due to ALS got it back in an unexpected way.Robin Leaper was diagnosed with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, in 2023. Since then, she’s struggled with muscle weakness and difficulty eating, and she’s no longer able to speak. It’s been an adjustment, to say the least.”For the first year, I couldn’t even say ALS without crying,” she said. When she was diagnosed, she was the Parks and Recreation director for the city of Norwalk.Since then, she’s tried to communicate in other ways, like text-to-speech software or sign language, but neither one has allowed her to use her own voice.Until the city’s marketing and communications specialist, Tai Lieu, came in.Lieu combed through hours of public meeting recordings in which Leaper spoke, isolating her vocals and uploading them to an AI voice recreation software.That software allows Leaper to type her words, which are then read aloud in her own voice.”It sounded as if she was just standing there, speaking on her own,” Lieu said of Leaper’s first attempt at using the software when she won Norwalk’s Citizen of the Year Award last year. “I had several people say, ‘I didn’t realize she was playing a recording of her voice.’”But for Leaper, the AI recreation does more than allow her to use her own voice; it allows her to feel like herself again.”It’s your identity,” she said. “People can hear your voice without seeing, and they know it’s you. It gave me back a little piece ALS stole from me.”As for what’s next, Leaper says she has a new priority: finding a cure.She plans to start with Altoona’s Walk to Defeat ALS on Saturday.

    An Iowa woman who lost her ability to speak due to ALS got it back in an unexpected way.

    Robin Leaper was diagnosed with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, in 2023. Since then, she’s struggled with muscle weakness and difficulty eating, and she’s no longer able to speak.

    It’s been an adjustment, to say the least.

    “For the first year, I couldn’t even say ALS without crying,” she said.

    When she was diagnosed, she was the Parks and Recreation director for the city of Norwalk.

    Since then, she’s tried to communicate in other ways, like text-to-speech software or sign language, but neither one has allowed her to use her own voice.

    Until the city’s marketing and communications specialist, Tai Lieu, came in.

    Lieu combed through hours of public meeting recordings in which Leaper spoke, isolating her vocals and uploading them to an AI voice recreation software.

    That software allows Leaper to type her words, which are then read aloud in her own voice.

    “It sounded as if she was just standing there, speaking on her own,” Lieu said of Leaper’s first attempt at using the software when she won Norwalk’s Citizen of the Year Award last year. “I had several people say, ‘I didn’t realize she was playing a recording of her voice.’”

    But for Leaper, the AI recreation does more than allow her to use her own voice; it allows her to feel like herself again.

    “It’s your identity,” she said. “People can hear your voice without seeing, and they know it’s you. It gave me back a little piece ALS stole from me.”

    As for what’s next, Leaper says she has a new priority: finding a cure.

    She plans to start with Altoona’s Walk to Defeat ALS on Saturday.

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  • National Guard troops are outside Chicago and could be in Memphis soon in Trump’s latest deployment

    National Guard troops are positioned outside Chicago and could also be in Memphis by Friday, as President Donald Trump’s administration pushes ahead with an aggressive policy — whether local leaders support it or not.Video above: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says Trump is “out of control”Troops’ presence at an Illinois Army Reserve center came despite a lawsuit and vigorous opposition from Democratic elected leaders. Their exact mission was not clear, but the Trump administration launched an aggressive immigration enforcement operation in the nation’s third-largest city last month, and protesters have frequently rallied at an immigration building in nearby Broadview.Trump has called Chicago a “hellhole” of crime despite police statistics showing significant drops in crime, including homicides.In Tennessee, Republican Gov. Bill Lee has said troops will be deputized by the U.S. Marshals Service to “play a critical support role” for law enforcement, though that hasn’t been defined yet.Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis said a small group of commanders was already in the city, planning for the arrival of Guard troops.Illinois and Chicago are urging a federal judge to stop “Trump’s long-declared ‘War’” on the state. A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday. An appeals court hearing over the government’s bid to deploy the Guard to Portland, Oregon, is also scheduled for Thursday. A judge there blocked those efforts over the weekend.Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has predicted that National Guard troops from the state would be activated, along with 400 from Texas. He has accused Trump of using troops as “political props” and “pawns,” and said he didn’t get a heads-up from Washington about their deployment.The Associated Press on Tuesday saw military personnel in uniforms with the Texas National Guard patch at the U.S. Army Reserve Center in Elwood, 55 miles (89 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. Trucks marked Emergency Disaster Services dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Extra fencing was spread across the perimeter.The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the Army Reserve Center for security reasons until Dec. 6, meaning the Guard could be there for two months.Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has barred federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement operations.The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the military’s role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or discussed sending troops to 10 cities, including Baltimore, the District of Columbia, New Orleans, and the California cities of Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.Most violent crime around the U.S. has declined in recent years, however. In Chicago, homicides were down 31% to 278 through August, police data shows. Portland’s homicides from January through June decreased by 51% to 17 this year compared with the same period in 2024.In Portland, months of nightly protests at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility continued on Tuesday night. In June, police declared a riot, and there have been smaller clashes since then.Oregon Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek said Tuesday she told Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem there’s “no insurrection” in the state.Noem said on Fox News that she told Portland Mayor Keith Wilson that DHS would “send four times the amount of federal officers” if the city did not boost security at the ICE building, get backup from local law enforcement and take other safety measures.Portland police Chief Bob Day said Tuesday that the department needs to work more closely with federal agents. Fernando reported from Chicago. Associated Press reporters Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee, Sarah Raza in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, Ed White in Detroit, and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this story.

    National Guard troops are positioned outside Chicago and could also be in Memphis by Friday, as President Donald Trump’s administration pushes ahead with an aggressive policy — whether local leaders support it or not.

    Video above: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says Trump is “out of control”

    Troops’ presence at an Illinois Army Reserve center came despite a lawsuit and vigorous opposition from Democratic elected leaders. Their exact mission was not clear, but the Trump administration launched an aggressive immigration enforcement operation in the nation’s third-largest city last month, and protesters have frequently rallied at an immigration building in nearby Broadview.

    Trump has called Chicago a “hellhole” of crime despite police statistics showing significant drops in crime, including homicides.

    In Tennessee, Republican Gov. Bill Lee has said troops will be deputized by the U.S. Marshals Service to “play a critical support role” for law enforcement, though that hasn’t been defined yet.

    Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis said a small group of commanders was already in the city, planning for the arrival of Guard troops.

    Illinois and Chicago are urging a federal judge to stop “Trump’s long-declared ‘War’” on the state. A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday. An appeals court hearing over the government’s bid to deploy the Guard to Portland, Oregon, is also scheduled for Thursday. A judge there blocked those efforts over the weekend.

    Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has predicted that National Guard troops from the state would be activated, along with 400 from Texas. He has accused Trump of using troops as “political props” and “pawns,” and said he didn’t get a heads-up from Washington about their deployment.

    The Associated Press on Tuesday saw military personnel in uniforms with the Texas National Guard patch at the U.S. Army Reserve Center in Elwood, 55 miles (89 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. Trucks marked Emergency Disaster Services dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Extra fencing was spread across the perimeter.

    The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the Army Reserve Center for security reasons until Dec. 6, meaning the Guard could be there for two months.

    Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has barred federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement operations.

    The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the military’s role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.

    Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or discussed sending troops to 10 cities, including Baltimore, the District of Columbia, New Orleans, and the California cities of Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

    Most violent crime around the U.S. has declined in recent years, however. In Chicago, homicides were down 31% to 278 through August, police data shows. Portland’s homicides from January through June decreased by 51% to 17 this year compared with the same period in 2024.

    In Portland, months of nightly protests at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility continued on Tuesday night. In June, police declared a riot, and there have been smaller clashes since then.

    Oregon Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek said Tuesday she told Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem there’s “no insurrection” in the state.

    Noem said on Fox News that she told Portland Mayor Keith Wilson that DHS would “send four times the amount of federal officers” if the city did not boost security at the ICE building, get backup from local law enforcement and take other safety measures.

    Portland police Chief Bob Day said Tuesday that the department needs to work more closely with federal agents.

    Fernando reported from Chicago. Associated Press reporters Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee, Sarah Raza in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, Ed White in Detroit, and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this story.

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  • Gunmen kill two, injure 12 in a shootout in a crowd in Alabama capital city’s downtown

    Gunmen kill two, injure 12 in a shootout in a crowd in Alabama capital city’s downtown

    Um, first of all, on behalf of City of Montgomery, I want to thank all of you for coming here for the work, uh, you’re doing, uh, to cover all the things that have been taking place in our city. I wanna thank our city council president Ci Yahon, uh, also Councilor Beer, Councilor Zymanski, uh, County Commissioner Constanza, um. sugar Cunting here. Sorry about that *** about my my contacts are. I thought that was you, um, but, uh, thank you for being here. That, that means *** lot. I appreciate that. Um, We wanna think everybody’s been helping us, uh, uh, partners with Lea, ATF, uh, FBI, all of our federal partners, Capitol Police, everybody’s been involved, and certainly, uh, we wanna thank the community, uh, for what, uh, they have been, uh, sharing with us and letting us know since, uh, these unfortunate circumstances. Um, I just wanna, uh, be very brief and I’ll turn it over to you, to you great boys and we’ll open it up for any questions that that you may have. Last night’s incident, uh, was unfortunate but it was certainly, uh, avoidable. Uh, it was an incident of bad judgment, uh, selfish behavior, um, and one that truly put the lives of many, many. Uh, innocent people are in danger. Uh, this weekend we have had thousands of people come, uh, to our city, uh, for things like the state fair, uh, for things like homecomings and other football games, uh, that we’ve had going on along with other events that have been going on around the city. 99.99% of people have been great. Uh, our community partners have been great. Our law enforcement has been. Uh, outstanding, uh, covering these events, uh, and covering things in the city, uh, our community has been great, uh, *** lot of great fun that has been had, uh, and shared, uh, along these last several days, uh, but unfortunately it only took, uh, one or two bad people with bad intentions, uh, to change not only their fortunes but the fortunes of Of many, many other innocent people, um, people who really should not have been caught in anything that, uh, took place and something again that, uh, we prepared for, talking with two great boys leading up to this weekend, talking about coverage. At the state fair talking about coverage uh at ASU’s Homecoming talking about coverage at the uh Morehouse Tuskegee Classic, uh, and talking about coverage in our neighborhoods for those who are just going about their, their day, um, our law enforcement officers were not off. Um, they’re encouraged not to be off, strongly encouraged, uh, they adhere to that. They sacrifice, they missed some ball games, they missed some birthdays, um, because they were protecting the serving this community, um, and even with that and having *** couple of units within, uh, *** short distance, um, we had something like this happen because of *** disagreement. Uh, because of something that again we believe, uh, could have been avoided and should have been. And I want the community to be well aware, uh, that for us this is not acceptable. Uh, we’re not gonna normalize this. Uh, we’re gonna do whatever we can not only to arrest those responsible, uh, we’re gonna do whatever we can to arrest those connected, um, in any way. Uh, who knew what may have happened or who knew what could take place. Um, we’re not going just to stop with those folks that, um, were pulling the trigger last night. Uh, for us it’s *** lot deeper than that because the impact is *** lot deeper than that. The impact is beyond those who are physically. Injured, those who are mentally and emotionally uh injured, those who are working downtown, uh, those who live downtown, those who do business uh and own businesses downtown, um. That’s *** problem for us. And so, uh, see great boys and I have been in talks, uh, consistently throughout the night, uh, about this issue, uh, this incident, and we’re gonna leverage all the resources, uh, and all the partnerships, uh, that we have to that. So I want us just to be, uh, very clear that this is not gonna be accepted here, uh, and we’re gonna look at every uh issue that we can, we’ll look at every ordinance that. We can talk to the city council about if we find some bad actors. Uh, then we’re gonna talk to them about that and that’s what their support which they’ve already, uh, agreed to, to give, uh, but we’re gonna look at everything that we can because this is not, uh, fit Montgomery, this is not who we are, this is not who we have been, um, when you have all the events going on that we had, uh, this weekend, uh, with *** lot of celebration, *** lot of economic impact, *** lot of goodwill. And support for charities, uh, Kiwanis Club, so many other organizations, um, that are doing good things. It is just, uh, to me, uh, very problematic that it only took one or two people *** few seconds, uh, to do something very stupid. Uh, and very dangerous, uh, that costs the lives of, of two people right now, uh, and may impact many, many others, uh, moving forward. And with that, I just want to say to the families, uh, we were praying for you since we heard about this. Uh, our church, uh, pray for the entire community. I know faith leaders who reached out to me, uh, all around this community. did so as well. We’re grateful uh for those prayers and we’re grateful for uh the actions uh as well of innocent people who came to help their neighbor who came to help people and strangers. They didn’t even know, uh, before this circumstance before this situation. So, um, we’re going to be in touch with those families and we’re gonna make sure those families understand um how much, uh, we grieve with them. Um, and we know that it may not be the same as, uh, someone who has lost that person, uh, who they were just talking to minutes or hours before and won’t have that opportunity again, uh, and for those that are injured, it may not. Necessarily have the same outcome but who have physical and mental scars, uh, that will have to be dealt with, uh, moving forward. So, uh, we’re gonna talk to them and I plan to reach out to them specifically myself and we’re gonna continue to make sure this is *** top line uh priority. Uh, not only for our city, but our community. And I think by looking at the leadership that we have here again across the city and across the county, uh, you can tell, uh, that this is all hands on deck and everybody’s on one accord to do whatever needs to be done, uh, to make sure we bring the criminals. To justice swiftly and that we make sure justice is served severely, uh, to send *** message that this is not gonna be accepted, uh, in Montgomery now or at any time moving forward. Uh, with that, I’ll turn over to Chief Rave voice to provide, uh, any, uh, facts and details, uh, and then I’ll come back and I’ll take questions, uh, and I’ll close it out with some other thoughts, uh, that we want to share as well. Chief. I’m collecting my thoughts right now because of how angry I am. So I’ll ask your forbearance as some of that might show through. Last night at 11:31. Our officers responded. The reports of shooting Shootings that they could hear. Over there at the corner of 5th and commerce Streets. As *** result of this incident, we now presently have 14 confirmed total victims of this shooting. Of those 14 confirmed victims. 2 have are deceased, 2 are no longer with us. 17 year old Jeremiah Morse. is unfortunately no longer with us. 43 year old Shalanda. Williams is no longer with us, both deceased from this incident. And of course, as I stated, there were 14 total victims. These two were among them. So of course, My feelings of anger and my heart is out there for their families. 5 of the victims. Have now life threatening. That’s where we are presently. 5 have life-threatening injuries. 7 have non life-threatening injuries. Breakdown on this that bothers me and every victim bothers me. I take it very personally. But this is of note. 7 of the victims are under the age of 20. The youngest of these victims is 16 years old. We know there are multiple calibers of ammunition used in this incident. We recovered multiple shell casings from multiple different weapons. We also recovered multiple weapons from the scene of this incident. We know that at least 2 of the victims, 2 of these 14 people were armed in this incident. This started As *** result of an individual, one of these 14. Who we believe was targeted. In which basically an exchange of gunfire. Erupted When that exchange erupted, Multiple people in the crowd, this is *** crowded area. Pull their own weapons. And started discharging. As you can imagine, that could be *** very chaotic situation. And every weapon has to be accounted for. And every piece of evidence has to be processed. Now, One thing I want to make perfectly clear. We are bringing every resource to bear. I’ve been in communication with multiple federal agencies from the ATF to the FBI to the US Attorney’s Office. I’ve been in communication with the US Marshals. My officers have been in communication with the Alabama Fusion Center. In communication with Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. I’ve been in communication with Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. And of course we’ve been in communication with the Montgomery County DA’s office as well. I’m making this clear because every one of these agencies stands with us. And is working with us to pursue the individuals. Responsible. Now, One thing I want to make clear too. Is that purposefully, I will not release any information that I believe will compromise this investigation. So when we do open it up, I will answer questions as well as I can, but I want people to understand this investigation we are laser focused on. And we are not gonna let anything distract us. From going after the individuals responsible. I’ve been in communication with Crime Stoppers. And one thing I want people to be aware of, if anybody has any information. You have responsibility for this community and to help the people in this community to give that information to us. And I would ask people to call Crime Stoppers at 215O. That’s an area code 334. The number actually is 215-786-7. They are offering *** $5000 reward. Any information that leads to an arrest in this case. Now we have been questioning multiple individuals in relation to this case. As we piece this together, because we really have to reconstruct it. To know exactly what took place and to make sure that appropriate charges are brought. When we Make the charges. But I cannot emphasize enough. That we will pursue every avenue. Available to us and we’re doing it uns senselessly. I mean, I’m sorry, I’m not never ceasing. All of us have been up for hours and hours and hours, and I will tell you. We are not gonna stop until we get this case solved. If anybody has any video information. Or videos they believe that they have taken that will help us in this investigation. I’m going to give you all. An email address. It’s spelled star, center. At Montgomery AL.gov. Again, that is Star Center. At Montgomery AL.gov. My personal opinion. this was very, very much preventable because Individuals who pulled the trigger are responsible for this. They carried those weapons into this crowd. And at any time they could have walked away from this or walked away from whatever was happening, but they did not. And *** bullet On fire does not come back. Montgomery is *** good town full of fighters, full of good people. We will not tolerate this. I’ll guarantee you that. Thank you. I wanna make *** couple of clarification on my thing. Chiefly again all the men and women in Montgomery Police Department, um, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, um, alcohol, tobacco, firearms, FBI, Capitol Police, DA’s office, everybody that, uh, has been *** part of this over these last several hours. also recognize some of the council members that were here. I know we had councilor member council members. Uh, Riley Johnson and Mitchell were also out there last night, uh, with the, with some of the families, uh, as well, so I want to recognize, uh, them, and again that’s about 3/4 of the council that was that has either been there or here. So it shows you again, level of involvement, level of seriousness and we’re taking this as *** city. Um, but I do wanna make *** couple of points of clarification I’ve seen in some early reporting. Uh, this was in no way related, uh, to the events that were happening. Uh, in the city was not related to Alabama State University’s Homecoming. Uh, I went to Alabama State University’s Homecoming. Uh, I had an opportunity to meet with community members, leaders, alumni, uh, fans, as well as the president, uh, and his staff, and, uh, board of trustee leaders. Great event, uh, fantastic for the city, and again, very few problems, uh, we had there. Uh, this was not connected in any way to Uh, the Morehouse Tuskegee Classic, uh, again, had the opportunity to, uh, talk with the community leaders, the president, uh, both institutions, corporate leaders, uh, Walmart and others, um. Great event, great crowd, um, really, really great feedback seeing people of all ages, uh, come out to, to witness what has been ***, uh, big weekend planned in our city for, um, several weeks. So I want to be clear that where this happened was not *** sanctioned party or gathering by any uh of those uh entities, um, either the HBCU classic Weekend. Uh, or Alabama State University’s homecoming or Morehouse Tuskegee’s homecoming whatsoever. Uh, that’s *** local place with local establishment and unfortunately, most of, uh, the victims, uh, as far as we know, uh, were local and unaffiliated, uh, with the institutions or, um, those, uh, activities that I mentioned. They were not connected to the Alabama State Fair. So, uh, again, *** lot of people are out there, uh, *** lot of preparation, *** lot of work, *** lot of sacrifice on behalf of dedicated, uh, law enforcement professionals, um, nothing out of the ordinary there. So, uh, I wanna, I wanna stress that because I think sometimes, uh, there’s *** lot of things out there in particularly on social media that potentially people try to, uh, craft and play detective. Uh, we’ve got. Great detectives here and throughout, uh, who are already on this and I just wanna make sure that’s clear so as not to besmirch any of those uh organizations uh that were doing so much, uh, and have done so much to great people here to our city. Um, second thing, you know, I, I wanna say. Is that um when you have people who are willing to, to, to draw, draw down uh in *** crowded area, that’s reckless uh and dangerous enough. Uh, when you have people who uh are willing to do that with police officers in plain sight, uh, within short, um, Distance, uh, I’m not sure if those people can be, uh, reaclimated to our society. Uh, I’m not sure that they can be productive citizens in our society. Uh, if you’re, if you’re that determined, um, to try to take someone’s life at the expense of, of others, I’m not sure those are the people that we can allow back uh into our society because the risk is just too great. Um, and I want to thank again our law enforcement professionals and everybody who helped us identify, uh, some suspects who helped us identify, uh, and apprehend, uh, some people who were, uh, close by, some people who had guns on them. Now I would have to be determined whether not those guns were uh connected to this crime, but certainly had guns on them. And we’re gonna find others, but when people are, are that reckless, uh, when it comes to uh human life, that’s *** problem, uh, and that’s *** problem that that’s gonna be *** lot deeper than what we’ll talk about at least here today, but it’s something that I think we have to talk about as *** community, we have to have some tough conversations uh around that. Who wants to be saved and who can be saved? Not everybody wants to be saved. And we have to find out who those people are, um, and we have to take things in our, uh, perspective to be proactive to protect this community. Too many good people here working hard, uh, doing great things to help this community prosper and move forward, uh, for it to be, um, just set on fire by people who are just committed to destruction. And committed to bringing about physical harm regardless of who it comes to, uh, because of their short-sighted emotions and how they deal with conflict and how they deal with disagreements. Con conflict and disagreements are as old as mankind. How we deal with it is the only thing that changed. And so it used to be *** time when somebody, there was *** disagreement, might be *** fist fight. I’m born and raised in Montgomery. I’ve seen plenty of them and it was that. And now we’re in this place where you don’t do that because everybody feels like they have to have *** gun. Everybody feels like this is wild wild west and so you lose innocent people over something very simple, uh, that could be worked out that even maybe without pushing and shoving could be de-escalated. And we have what we have now, innocent people uh who are harmed and many more who are impacted. So I just wanted to to mention that, uh, and then finally I want to say this $5000 isn’t enough to bring the cowards to justice. I put $20,000 on that, um, and we’re gonna make that $25,000 maybe 50. We had, we had another $25,000 from from our city council president, from the council. That’s here. Thank you. Thank all of you. Um, and this shouldn’t be about reward money. Uh, you should feel compelled to come forward because innocent people were harmed last night, um, and most, most, uh, were just in the, in the wrong place at the wrong time. Could have been any one of us. I was just you know, out of town at the weekend before. No different, um. And we gotta make sure that again we don’t accept this and so um I thank our city council for for just doing that. But $50,000 is what we’re where we’re gonna be right now, um, and we want those who know, uh, to come forward, not because you want the money, because you know it’s what’s right. Um, and you know it’s the right thing to do for people, uh, who should not have been in this situation that have been horrified and more importantly, to remove the people who are behind this. I wanna be very clear, we’re gonna see this all the way through, and if there’s legislation we need to change, we’ll change legislation. Uh, there are things we need to change in the bail and bond laws, and we’ll change the bail and bonds laws. Um, we’re not going to just sit here and Do the same thing over and over and over again. We’re not gonna do that. That’s not fair to the victims, it’s not fair to the families, it’s not fair to this community. Um, we’re just not gonna do that. So if we have to tie things up, and we have to take *** different position, then so be it. We’ll do that, but, uh, dangerous criminals and people who are this reckless uh with human life don’t deserve to be free. Uh they don’t deserve to walk our streets. Um, that, that’s not anything you are promised. That, that’s something that uh is an opportunity. As *** blessing. And if you can’t do that, then you don’t need to be on our streets, period. So with that I’ll open up uh for any questions you may have for myself, to great boys, um, and we’ll take them there. Chief Marty Roney Montgomery Advertiser, could you uh verify the name spellings of the deceased victims, please, sir? I’m sorry. Certainly, sir. Um, Jeremiah Morse is from the spelling I have at present, uh J E R E M I *** H, last name M O R R I S. And the other victim is Shalanda Williams, spelled S H *** L *** N D ***, last name W I L L I *** M S. Were they both Montgomery residents? Uh, at present we believe so. Um, All right. Any other questions? Do we have any indication of what led to the initial altercation? At present We know, like I stated earlier, one individual got targeted. And then an exchange of gunfire took place. We are still investigating the state, the motives and the reasons behind some of that. We do have leads coming in though that are helping us shape that, but I can’t say further than that because I, like I said before, I’m not gonna compromise anything because this is gonna be *** very complex investigation with multiple suspects when we finish it up. How many officers were working in the downtown area last night? I would have to refer to my worksheets, but I know that we have at least 5 in close proximity to this case. When you say close proximity, I mean I’m I’m talking within like running distance. OK, but like I stated, I, I would have to check if you want an exact number, but I can talk about the folks who responded to it and how fast they did and they were very fast on that. When the mayor said that there was an officer not 50 ft away, he was right. I’m gonna ask this question with an apology beforehand because I know how hard y’all been working and how nerves are wrong. But my editor told me to ask you, does this mean downtown Montgomery is unsafe? OK, can I answer that first, you get your thoughts. Let me say this. You know, I think when you get in *** car accident, you say driving is unsafe. You know, um, I, I, I don’t, I don’t think that, uh, downtown Montgomery is unsafe. Let me be very clear about that. Um, I think we have some reckless and careless people, uh, who did something very stupid last night that cost two people their lives and multiple people, uh, impacts on their lives from now until. Um, I think the investment in technology, uh, that we have, uh, increased this over the last several months, um, has proved beneficial. I think our police department chief great Boys outreach with Downtown Business Association has been productive. Uh, I think our conversations with major stakeholders, uh, in that area whether it’s the, uh, State Capitol Police. Uh, whether it’s those that assist with the retirement systems of Alabama’s, uh, buildings as well as our entrepreneurs and small business owners. There’s been *** great, great collaboration, uh, of teamwork and effectiveness there. Uh, the fact that we are having discussions right now in our city council about investing, uh, hundreds of millions of dollars to further grow downtown, uh, through tourism and things that benefit our city overall. Um, I think it’s an indication that Uh, we believe downtown, uh, it’s safe and again, I’ll go back to what I said before. You had thousands of people. Uh, who were, who were downtown. We had the investor Doctor Anthony Lee over at Huntingdon, uh, on Friday. I mean just *** great, I mean you couldn’t really ask to me for *** better weekend whether an activity uh involved to see people from all around coming uh through our city and coming through, uh, these spaces for different reasons at different times. What we had were, um, some individuals who decided that they were gonna put. Innocent lives at risk because of whatever issues or whatever disagreements or whatever conflicts they had, and I don’t think it would have mattered if it was on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue or it was on the steps of the Capitol. I think that that was going to happen and what we have to do is we have to make sure that from our standpoint we send, we send *** strong message, *** direct message that this is not acceptable and if you do it in our city, you’re gonna pay *** heavy price. And you’re gonna pay *** heavy price and the public is gonna be aware of it. If it means making sure that there’s *** public example made of the people that are behind this, so be it. You just heard the city council that’s what we just said relates to uh this reward. This should not be about that, uh, as I said *** second ago, but if that’s what it takes to bring these people to justice, if it takes again of advocating to our judges, takes advocating to our legislature about some laws that need to be. about repeat violent offenders, even if it’s just in Montgomery County, then we’ll do whatever we have to do. So I don’t think that’s an indication on uh downtown. I think it’s an indication on the individuals who are responsible for this. This is not about uh the location. This is about the people involved, and this is about the recklessness and the decisions they made that have impacted many, many other people beyond themselves and they have to be held accountable for that. And we’re gonna do everything in our power to make sure they’re held accountable to it and to make sure other people understand just what that accountability costs, right? Because if you take two lives here. You impact as many as they have, again, it wouldn’t matter if it was around the corner from my house. The same thing should be, should apply that you ought to have *** level of respect and dignity for human life, that’s what being *** civilized society. Demands and if you can’t be in *** civilized society, you don’t need to be on our streets, period. And so this is not about um downtown, it’s about the individuals uh combined. Chiefre boys and I talked about technology from drones to cameras leading up to this. And again, by and large across the board, our partners in law enforcement. Our community has responded very, very well. Couldn’t be more proud uh of how this community embraced everything that that was going on here, um, all at one time. Uh, men and women in Montgomery Police Department, outstanding job. All of our partners, the law enforcement outstanding, um, and again, you got people that are from here to down this hall. And they’re willing to do something. I don’t know there’s anything, *** drone or camera or any other amount of men and women are gonna do, uh, but I also think that that will help us close this case very swiftly and I think the community’s partnership and the community’s interest, uh. In it, uh, will help as well. We got *** lot of great feedback, *** lot of offers of support, and those are people who don’t uh necessarily come downtown all the time, they don’t necessarily uh stay out past 9 or 10 o’clock, uh, but they know this is their community. And they have pride in their community. They want to make sure that we don’t let uh some people disrupt and destroy some of the things that too many people have put *** lot of time and effort and energy uh in doing. So, uh, I want to respond to that question because again I, I think it’s very. Very important for us to understand when we partner with our city, we partner with our county, uh, and our business owners and our faith leaders and grassroots leaders here is to serve everybody, wherever part of town that may be and unfortunately sometimes. People with bad intentions tend to go uh where innocent people are, but they have to pay *** price. They have to pay *** heavy price, and they have to pay it swiftly, and we need to make sure that they do that whatever the cost. And if $50,000 doesn’t get it, we’ll go out and we’ll get some more. But we’re gonna find the people who are behind this, and I promise you there will be some changes. There will be some changes because this is gonna be an example for some people. We’re not gonna keep coming back here having these press conferences because stupid people do stupid stuff that causes people’s lives. We’re not gonna keep doing that. They’re reckless and they’re dangerous, they don’t need to be on the streets. They don’t, they need to be somewhere where it doesn’t matter what they do, what they think about themselves because they should not have that impact on others. And so whatever that cost is, so be it. No, to follow up on that question, um, is it responsible for the city of Montgomery to continue to bring thousands of people in when even though these weren’t related, it wasn’t related to anything, you still have the Ferris wheel right around the block from where this happened, and we have low numbers of police officers they’re doing the best they can. I understand that, but. 5 officers, you know, for an area that large, it, it seems like *** low number. I mean, do we need to Not bring events like this into the city until we have more officers. I’ll let you get to the the manpower uh issues. I’m not sure how many people are are are knowing down on that shift, uh, at that time. Uh, but no, I, I think the city of Montgomery, we, we, we can walk and chew gum at the same time. Uh, we’re *** city that, you know, really has tremendous pride, um, in what we do and, you know, uh. I didn’t get *** chance to go out to the fair yet. I was looking forward and looking forward to getting out there, but I go out there every year. The thing that I’m always impressed about from the time I was growing up here, uh, is what the Kiwanis Club, uh, does for so many people, uh, not just in our city. But in our area and I say that because the fair is *** big part of uh bringing in funds and revenue. That’s *** big operation that our police department and uh sheriff’s department, so many folks work hard on year round. And to have that along with uh Alabama State University’s homecoming, to have that along with, you know, having dignitaries in town for Huntington Colleges, uh, presidential investiture. To have that along with the uh Morehouseki Classic is something that um our men and women in law enforcement are trained to do. Uh, they are committed to do it and I think for them and and our partners, uh, there’s been *** great amount of collaboration. Uh, with our, uh, partners in law enforcement and also the community. Uh, we’ve got retired law enforcement officers, um, point out things to me, uh, and tell me different things and it’s great. Uh, we’ve had people, I’ve had people call and text me, uh, who are retired, uh, to talk about things they’re seeing in their neighborhood and their community at an event, um, so we always have additional eyes and ears, um, in. Uh, when we’re doing things like this, and I think when you have the type of working relationship that’s not transactional, that really is about working with um Uh, Capitol Police, uh, Alabama Law enforcement, uh, agency that’s also, uh, working with our federal partners because we’re in constant contact with them, uh, I think it makes these type of events, uh, certainly not only possible, uh, moving forward, but I think it encourages us. Um, the fact that, you know, again I, I, I know that the number you mentioned, uh, that you brought up before, um. You know, these are people who listen, this could have been much worse. Um, these are people who have no regard for how many law enforcement officers we have, um, they they’re, they’re that type of, of, of individual and I think for us to have uh the sheriff of our county here to have our police chief here again it shows the collaboration, it shows the working relationship. Uh, that we have that doesn’t matter about jurisdictional roles to have our city council, our county commission partners here. It doesn’t matter. We all live here. Uh, we all want to see, uh, this community thrive whether it’s *** concert or whether it’s *** race on the river, uh, what’s *** 5K for charity, uh, it doesn’t matter. We want to see those things, uh, take place and I feel very confident and felt confident. Uh, going in, uh, to this weekend that we were more than prepared, uh, and that we were ready to handle, uh, just about anything that would come up and Chief and I probably talked, um, several times throughout the week, uh, several times on Friday, and then *** couple more times, even yesterday, uh, about just kind of where things were, and I wanna say this, the act of one or two individuals coming back to your point, um. Doesn’t cloud the entire community. Community has been great. Community has been helpful, has been outgoing, very, very supportive across the city, uh, and, and we commend them for that, and they have responded. Uh, you’ve got some of the messages I’ve gotten to not approving and not liking what’s happening and not gonna settle for that as well. They’re as angry as we are. Uh, and I appreciate that because they understand what we’re doing in this city and in this region and they understand what so many folks uh around the walls and those that are here, uh, in our community do to try to bring events, uh, to downtown to other parts of Montgomery, uh, so that you know you can win with your family, you can align with your friends, you can’t invite, uh, people here and I wanna say it’s not let it uh give final marks on the manpower thing. You know, um, if what happened here only happened here, I might be concerned. Um, and although I’m concerned about why this happened, uh, I know enough and I talked to enough mayors around the state and enough mayors around the country to know that we all deal with it. It’s all it’s our worst nightmare probably short of *** law enforcement officer or *** first responder, um, having something serious happen to them. Uh, no one wants to have the term mass shooting. Uh, affiliated with their community, uh, and we all talk about that consistently about how you prepare, how you plan, and then how do you respond. And I think the fact that we put so much time, effort, and energy in that, uh, not only helped us within two hours, uh, corro some people who, uh, they don’t have some ties to this. They have some ties to something bad to happen. Uh, I can promise you that they’re not just innocent bystanders. Because of that planning, preparation and response. So I think we’re more than capable of being able to. Handle events like this and others. Uh, we’ve done it with Buckmasters. Uh, we do it with, uh, the salute the Veterans Bowl. We do it with concerts. We do other events here all the time with the help of everybody, uh, that’s in this room, and I’m proud to be able to work with all of them, uh, in various capacities to get those things done. We’ll continue to do that. We don’t gonna let one or two bad apples, uh, spoil *** bunch, we’re gonna find those that are rotten and we’ll get them the hell out of here. I, I’d like to address something here and I want to clarify. When I was stating that there were 5 within, you say walking distance, that doesn’t, that number did not include the folks who also responded in their vehicles. As the mayor just alluded, we had one officer who was so quick on the scene, he was transporting *** victim before. You can say the ambulances got there. The response was so quick, OK, we were taking people. And do investigative, you could say custody short distance away. Yeah I, I, while I can’t tell you how fast I got here, I know I got here pretty fast and this response of our units and our officers. This was not *** manpower issue. We had plenty of manpower. We had darn Aaliyah out there, ATF, other federal partners, Sheriff’s department. I mean, we had *** huge response on this and very quick response. It’s something you got to understand with these types of situations. When you know how fast the magazine can be emptied out of *** handgun, an automatic handgun, that incident might have only taken 1 or less than 60 seconds. So this was an issue and, and one thing I think we all have to be aware of. And I think we don’t need anybody. Misinforming the public. This is an issue. Of the individuals who pull those triggers. They pull those triggers. They hurt those people. That’s who’s at fault in this, and that’s who we’re going after. And we can’t let as *** community, as *** police department, as law enforcement officers, we cannot let anything sway us or distract us from that purpose. Our response on this was very timely and we bought *** lot of force to bear. But when you have these many individuals get shot, And you have this type of crime scene. You have to do everything right. Because you only get really one chance at that prosecution. And we’re gonna do everything we can and we are thankful to all of the the law enforcement partners who showed up last night, who are showing up today and who are helping us because we are utilizing like I stated, every resource. And I’m proud of my detectives and the work that they are doing. I have full confidence in their abilities. And I’m so thankful. That we can work together as *** team to go after these bad actors do not. Forget who’s responsible for the shootings. And it’s the people who pull those triggers, not just here but anywhere, but that’s who’s responsible for this. And my um Attorney General Steve Marshall and commenting about about the shooting, he, he said, uh. He said, I don’t know the exact quote, but something about he’s concerned about this what he called the stubborn refusal of officials in Montgomery to acknowledge there’s *** serious crime problem here. Do you, Mayor, do you have any response to, to what he said? I don’t know that there, um, one could look at our record uh objectively and what we’ve done with our city council, uh, and say that um there’s *** refusal to acknowledge crime is an issue, uh, in the city of Montgomery. Uh, I don’t know *** major city in the state, and I work with all the mayors in this state that would say that crime is not an issue. Uh, in this city. I think if you look at our budget, if you look at the amount of money that we have put into technology that we have put into our first responders, that we have put into recruiting and retaining the very best and brightest, uh, in law enforcement, the type of people that we bring in, casting, uh, wide net, bringing back. Uh, part-time officers, uh, really acclimated to keep great boy suggestions about addressing, uh, issues around manpower, uh, talking to our share, uh, about great ideas he has about debt programs getting people in that pipeline. Uh, working, uh, with uh community violence, uh, intervention program, funding also violence prevention with the council’s approval, working with our nonprofit, uh, leaders, faith leaders, grassroots leaders, um, I, I don’t know how one could really Uh, make that statement and, and see what we have been doing here, uh, over the last 6 years. I think it’s very easy, um, to, to sit back while you’re watching college football, um, and talk about something you don’t know about. Attorney General wants to talk to me about what we’ve been doing. I’d be more than happy to sit with him. I’ll go to him, uh, to tell him exactly what we’ve been doing. Um, but I don’t need anybody lecturing me about crime. I’ve had *** gun pointed in my face, um, and I’ll never forget. I wasn’t the mayor then, and these people last night won’t never forget what happened to them. Uh, and so, you know, I don’t, I don’t need that type of sideline, uh, commentary, uh, from the state’s top law enforcement official. I need solutions and he’s willing to offer some solutions around bail and bar reform, I’m open. We’ve been talking about that for several years. We’re gonna offer some solutions, uh, around issues around permitless caring. I’m open. We’ve been talking about that for several years. So, you know, we’ve done more than our part. Uh, we have uh engaged community partners that has helped us lower crime in this city, um, you know, over 26, 27%. Um, and we want that number to be 100%. We’re not complacent with that. Uh, we’re not stubborn to the facts that people handle disagreements very poorly, which result in why we’re here today. But to say that there’s been *** refusal, uh, it’s just ***. Lack of awareness, lack of information or education, uh, but I’d be more than happy uh to talk with him or his staff about what we’ve been doing and to talk about ways that we can collaborate, uh, not only to make Montgomery safer, but to make the state of Alabama safer. Come here. I’m sorry. We spoke about the police force’s new drones at *** press conference recently, and we saw them up in the air last night. How are they assisting specifically in this case? Drones can be utilized in so many ways, not only just for visualizing or chasing suspects if you’re in *** like *** hot pursuit, uh, they can also be utilized to map areas, and when you map areas, it helps you better locate evidence. As I stated before, we are in the process of reconstructing everything because that is what’s going to lead us to *** successful prosecution. So drones are utilized in so many different ways that we were really glad to be utilizing them last night. In fact, the ones you saw life are our allies at Aliya because they had specialized things that they could do with us. So that’s why I’m saying we are working hand in hand with all of the other law enforcement agencies. Um, so we are definitely gonna utilize every resource we have on this. So thank you for your questions.

    Gunmen kill two, injure 12 in a shootout in a crowd in Alabama capital city’s downtown

    Updated: 7:35 PM EDT Oct 5, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    Rival gunmen shot at each other in a crowded downtown nightlife district in Alabama’s capital city Saturday night, killing two people and injuring 12 others in a chaotic street scene that left authorities trying to find out who started it, police said.The dead included a 43-year-old woman, identified by police as Shalanda WIlliams, and a 17-year-old identified as Jeremiah Morris. Five of the wounded were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, including a juvenile, Montgomery police said.No one had been arrested as of Sunday afternoon as police appealed to the public for information and sorted through a complicated crime scene that involved multiple people firing weapons in a crowd just after the Tuskegee University-Morehouse College rivalry football game ended blocks away.“We’re gonna do whatever we can not only to arrest those responsible, we’re going to do whatever to arrest those connected in any way, who knew what may have happened, who knew what could take place,” Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed told a Sunday news conference. “We’re not going just to stop with those folks that were pulling the trigger last night.”The shooters “had no regard for human life,” he said.Police were reviewing surveillance video, interviewing witnesses and potential suspects and trying to piece together a motive for why the shooting started.Police were called around 11:30 p.m. to what Montgomery Police Chief James Graboys described as a “mass shooting” that broke out near the Hank Williams Museum, the Rosa Parks Museum and the Alabama Statehouse, within earshot of officers on routine patrol in downtown Montgomery.The shooting began when someone targeted one of the 14 victims, prompting multiple people to pull their own weapons and start firing back, Graboys said.”This was two parties involved that were basically shooting at each other in the middle of a crowd,” Graboys said.The shooters, he said, “did not care about the people around them when they did it.”Seven of the 14 victims were under 20, and the youngest was 16, Graboys said. At least two of the victims were armed, Graboys said.Multiple weapons and shell cases were recovered from the scene, Graboys said.Few other details were available.It was a particularly busy weekend in Montgomery, with Alabama State University’s homecoming football game that day at Hornet Stadium, the Alabama National Fair ongoing at Garrett Coliseum and the Tuskegee University-Morehouse College game having just ended at nearby Cramton Bowl.Reed said there were police patrols within 50 feet (15 meters) when the shooting broke out. One officer was so quick to arrive on the scene that he transported a victim to the hospital before an ambulance arrived, Graboys said.

    MONTGOMERY, Ala. —

    Rival gunmen shot at each other in a crowded downtown nightlife district in Alabama’s capital city Saturday night, killing two people and injuring 12 others in a chaotic street scene that left authorities trying to find out who started it, police said.

    The dead included a 43-year-old woman, identified by police as Shalanda WIlliams, and a 17-year-old identified as Jeremiah Morris. Five of the wounded were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, including a juvenile, Montgomery police said.

    No one had been arrested as of Sunday afternoon as police appealed to the public for information and sorted through a complicated crime scene that involved multiple people firing weapons in a crowd just after the Tuskegee University-Morehouse College rivalry football game ended blocks away.

    “We’re gonna do whatever we can not only to arrest those responsible, we’re going to do whatever to arrest those connected in any way, who knew what may have happened, who knew what could take place,” Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed told a Sunday news conference. “We’re not going just to stop with those folks that were pulling the trigger last night.”

    The shooters “had no regard for human life,” he said.

    Police were reviewing surveillance video, interviewing witnesses and potential suspects and trying to piece together a motive for why the shooting started.

    Police were called around 11:30 p.m. to what Montgomery Police Chief James Graboys described as a “mass shooting” that broke out near the Hank Williams Museum, the Rosa Parks Museum and the Alabama Statehouse, within earshot of officers on routine patrol in downtown Montgomery.

    The shooting began when someone targeted one of the 14 victims, prompting multiple people to pull their own weapons and start firing back, Graboys said.

    “This was two parties involved that were basically shooting at each other in the middle of a crowd,” Graboys said.

    The shooters, he said, “did not care about the people around them when they did it.”

    Seven of the 14 victims were under 20, and the youngest was 16, Graboys said. At least two of the victims were armed, Graboys said.

    Multiple weapons and shell cases were recovered from the scene, Graboys said.

    Few other details were available.

    It was a particularly busy weekend in Montgomery, with Alabama State University’s homecoming football game that day at Hornet Stadium, the Alabama National Fair ongoing at Garrett Coliseum and the Tuskegee University-Morehouse College game having just ended at nearby Cramton Bowl.

    Reed said there were police patrols within 50 feet (15 meters) when the shooting broke out. One officer was so quick to arrive on the scene that he transported a victim to the hospital before an ambulance arrived, Graboys said.

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  • Trump’s National Guard deployment in Portland, Oregon halted as Chicago braces for troops

    President Donald Trump’s crime and immigration crackdown hit a legal roadblock in Portland, Oregon, as new details emerged about the administration’s plan to send federal troops into Chicago. On Saturday, a federal judge temporarily blocked Trump’s effort to federalize 200 members of the Oregon National Guard. U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut said the plan to send troops to Portland likely overstepped Trump’s authority and threatened state sovereignty. “This is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law. Defendants have made a range of arguments that, if accepted, risk blurring the line between civil and military federal power — to the detriment of this nation,” Immergut said. The decision was celebrated by state and local leaders who brought the lawsuit, but the White House vowed to appeal. “President Trump exercised his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland following violent riots and attacks on law enforcement — we expect to be vindicated by a higher court,” said White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland has been at the center of recent protests. On Saturday, hundreds marched to the building, prompting federal agents to deploy tear gas, among other crowd-control munitions. At least six people were arrested. Similar demonstrations and a similar debate have been playing out in Chicago. On Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security said federal agents shot and injured one woman during what the agency described as a “defensive” response to an alleged vehicle-ramming attack. On Saturday, Trump authorized 300 troops to protect federal officers and assets in Chicago, despite opposition from Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker. The timeline of the National Guard’s arrival was not immediately clear. More from our Washington Bureau:

    President Donald Trump’s crime and immigration crackdown hit a legal roadblock in Portland, Oregon, as new details emerged about the administration’s plan to send federal troops into Chicago.

    On Saturday, a federal judge temporarily blocked Trump’s effort to federalize 200 members of the Oregon National Guard. U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut said the plan to send troops to Portland likely overstepped Trump’s authority and threatened state sovereignty.

    “This is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law. Defendants have made a range of arguments that, if accepted, risk blurring the line between civil and military federal power — to the detriment of this nation,” Immergut said.

    The decision was celebrated by state and local leaders who brought the lawsuit, but the White House vowed to appeal.

    “President Trump exercised his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland following violent riots and attacks on law enforcement — we expect to be vindicated by a higher court,” said White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson.

    An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland has been at the center of recent protests. On Saturday, hundreds marched to the building, prompting federal agents to deploy tear gas, among other crowd-control munitions. At least six people were arrested.

    Similar demonstrations and a similar debate have been playing out in Chicago. On Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security said federal agents shot and injured one woman during what the agency described as a “defensive” response to an alleged vehicle-ramming attack.

    On Saturday, Trump authorized 300 troops to protect federal officers and assets in Chicago, despite opposition from Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker. The timeline of the National Guard’s arrival was not immediately clear.

    More from our Washington Bureau:

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  • At least 5 dead in large-scale nighttime Russian strike on Ukraine

    I hope that everybody recognizes now that there is *** hybrid war, and one day it’s Poland, the other day it’s Denmark, and next week it will probably be somewhere else that we see sabotage or we see drones flying or we see. Yeah you can you can there are many different kinds of episodes, so I see this from *** European perspective. There is only one country that are willing to threat us, and it is Russia, and therefore we need *** very strong answer back.

    At least 5 dead in large-scale nighttime Russian strike on Ukraine

    Updated: 2:45 AM PDT Oct 5, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    At least five civilians died after Russia launched drones, missiles and guided aerial bombs at Ukraine overnight into Sunday, in a major attack that officials there said targeted civilian infrastructure.Moscow sent over 50 ballistic missiles and around 500 drones into nine regions across Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday morning.Four people died in a combined drone and missile strike on Lviv, according to regional officials and Ukraine’s emergency service. The historic western city is often seen as a haven from the fighting and destruction further east. At least four more people sustained injuries, the emergency service said. The strike left two districts without power and public transport suspended for a few hours early Sunday, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi reported. He added that a business complex on the outskirts of Lviv was on fire following the strike. In the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, a nighttime aerial assault killed a civilian woman and wounded nine other people, including a 16-year-old girl, regional Gov. Ivan Fedorov reported. He said Russia attacked with drones and guided aerial bombs. Fedorov said the strike destroyed residential buildings and left some 73,000 households in Zaporizhzhia and surrounding areas without power.

    At least five civilians died after Russia launched drones, missiles and guided aerial bombs at Ukraine overnight into Sunday, in a major attack that officials there said targeted civilian infrastructure.

    Moscow sent over 50 ballistic missiles and around 500 drones into nine regions across Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday morning.

    Four people died in a combined drone and missile strike on Lviv, according to regional officials and Ukraine’s emergency service. The historic western city is often seen as a haven from the fighting and destruction further east. At least four more people sustained injuries, the emergency service said.

    The strike left two districts without power and public transport suspended for a few hours early Sunday, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi reported. He added that a business complex on the outskirts of Lviv was on fire following the strike.

    In the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, a nighttime aerial assault killed a civilian woman and wounded nine other people, including a 16-year-old girl, regional Gov. Ivan Fedorov reported. He said Russia attacked with drones and guided aerial bombs.

    Fedorov said the strike destroyed residential buildings and left some 73,000 households in Zaporizhzhia and surrounding areas without power.

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  • Trump plans to deploy National Guard in Illinois, governor says

    The Trump administration plans to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said Saturday.Related video above: “Full force, if necessary:” Why President Trump is sending troops to Portland, OregonPritzker said the guard received word from the Pentagon in the morning that the troops would be called up. He did not specify when or where they would be deployed, but President Donald Trump has long threatened to send troops to Chicago.“This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Pritzker said in a statement. “It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.”The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for additional details. The White House and the Pentagon did not respond to questions about Pritzker’s statement.The escalation of federal law enforcement in Illinois follows similar deployments in other parts of the country. Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles over the summer and as part of his law enforcement takeover in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile Tennessee National Guard troops are expected to help Memphis police.California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued to stop the deployment in Los Angeles and won a temporary block in federal court. The Trump administration has appealed that ruling that the use of the guard was illegal, and a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has indicated that it believes the government is likely to prevail.Pritzker called Trump’s move in Illinois a “manufactured performance” that would pull the state’s National Guard troops away from their families and regular jobs.“For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control,” said the governor, who also noted that state, county and local law enforcement have been coordinating to ensure the safety of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Broadview facility on the outskirts of Chicago.Federal officials reported the arrests of 13 people protesting Friday near the facility, which has been frequently targeted during the administration’s surge of immigration enforcement this fall.Trump also said last month that he was sending federal troops to Portland, Oregon, calling the city war-ravaged. But local officials have suggested that many of his claims and social media posts appear to rely on images from 2020, when demonstrations and unrest gripped the city following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.City and state officials sued to stop the deployment the next day. U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut heard arguments Friday, and a ruling is expected over the weekend.Trump has federalized 200 National Guard troops in Oregon, but so far it does not appear that they have moved into Portland. They have been seen training on the coast in anticipation of a deployment. Associated Press reporter Rebecca Boone contributed.

    The Trump administration plans to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said Saturday.

    Related video above: “Full force, if necessary:” Why President Trump is sending troops to Portland, Oregon

    Pritzker said the guard received word from the Pentagon in the morning that the troops would be called up. He did not specify when or where they would be deployed, but President Donald Trump has long threatened to send troops to Chicago.

    “This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Pritzker said in a statement. “It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.”

    The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for additional details. The White House and the Pentagon did not respond to questions about Pritzker’s statement.

    The escalation of federal law enforcement in Illinois follows similar deployments in other parts of the country. Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles over the summer and as part of his law enforcement takeover in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile Tennessee National Guard troops are expected to help Memphis police.

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued to stop the deployment in Los Angeles and won a temporary block in federal court. The Trump administration has appealed that ruling that the use of the guard was illegal, and a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has indicated that it believes the government is likely to prevail.

    Pritzker called Trump’s move in Illinois a “manufactured performance” that would pull the state’s National Guard troops away from their families and regular jobs.

    “For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control,” said the governor, who also noted that state, county and local law enforcement have been coordinating to ensure the safety of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Broadview facility on the outskirts of Chicago.

    Federal officials reported the arrests of 13 people protesting Friday near the facility, which has been frequently targeted during the administration’s surge of immigration enforcement this fall.

    Trump also said last month that he was sending federal troops to Portland, Oregon, calling the city war-ravaged. But local officials have suggested that many of his claims and social media posts appear to rely on images from 2020, when demonstrations and unrest gripped the city following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.

    City and state officials sued to stop the deployment the next day. U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut heard arguments Friday, and a ruling is expected over the weekend.

    Trump has federalized 200 National Guard troops in Oregon, but so far it does not appear that they have moved into Portland. They have been seen training on the coast in anticipation of a deployment.

    Associated Press reporter Rebecca Boone contributed.

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  • Friends of Michigan church shooting suspect say he long carried hatred toward Mormon faith

    The man who opened fire in a Michigan church and killed four people while setting it ablaze long harbored hatred toward the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to longtime friends, and told a stranger who showed up at his door days before that attack that Mormons were the “Antichrist.” The suspect, identified as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, began making those sentiments known years ago following his return from Utah, where he dated but later broke up with a girlfriend who was a member of the Mormon faith, two childhood friends said Tuesday. Sanford had moved to Utah after leaving the Marines and told his friends he had become addicted to methamphetamines.No longer the happy-go-lucky kid who was voted class clown of their graduating class, Sanford routinely spouted off about his grievances against the church, his friends said. The first time they heard it was at a wedding 13 years ago.”We were like, ‘Come on, we don’t want to hear this,’” said Bobby Kalush, who grew up down the road from Sanford. “When he came back from Utah, he was a completely different person.”Just six days before Sunday’s attack, those grudges were still boiling at the surface, said Kris Johns, a city council candidate who described a bizarre brush with Sanford while door-knocking for his campaign.The two were speaking at Sanford’s home in Burton about gun rights when Sanford physically leaned in, Johns said, and asked, “What do you know about Mormons?”For close to 15 minutes, Sanford spoke in controlled and calm tones about the Mormon faith, saying he was concerned about their beliefs while expressing that he was a Christian. Sanford then said he believed that Mormons are the “Antichrist,” according to Johns.”That’s something I’ll never forget,” he said.Police have released very few details about Sanford, who died after being shot by officers, and have refused to discuss what might have motivated the attack at the church, which was reduced to rubble in Grand Blanc Township, about 60 miles north of Detroit.On Tuesday, Sanford’s family released a statement through a lawyer, expressing condolences. “No words can adequately convey our sorrow for the victims and their families,” they said. Sanford served four years in the Marine Corps after enlisting in 2004 and deployed once to Iraq for seven months, according to military records. His commander during the deployment, David Hochheimer, said the unit never saw combat or incoming fire. “It was a relatively quiet time,” he said on Tuesday.Sanford moved to Utah shortly after leaving the military. His friends said they noticed a change after he moved back home, thinking his battle with addiction was to blame. Kalush said his friend was no longer the “short, stocky ball of energy” who once bought dozens of flowers to give out to girls before the homecoming dance.Around bonfires with friends, it wasn’t unusual for Sanford to start talking about how Mormons were going to take over, said Frances Tersigni, who along with his twin brother was among Sanford’s best friends.”It was just so random. It was like, ‘Why Mormons dude?’” Tersigni said. “It’s hard to explain. We didn’t take it serious.” But there were no signs that he was a threat to anyone, Tersigni said. An avid hunter, Sanford was married now and raising a child at home.”He never once, never, said ‘I’ve got to do something,’” he said. “There’s a Jake we all knew, and there was one who was hidden. It wasn’t apparent to us.” Federal investigators remained at the church Tuesday as heavy machinery began moving debris from the church.Authorities have not yet released the names of the four people who died or the eight people — ages 6 to 78 — who were wounded and expected to survive. Among the wounded were a father and his young son, according to a GoFundMe post.One of those who died was being remembered as a grandfather who adored spending time with his family. John Bond, a Navy veteran, was well-known in the community and loved golfing and trains, according to friends organizing fundraising for the family.Another victim was identified online by family as Pat Howard.”Uncle Pat was so many things. … In my mind I see him mid conversation, his eyebrows raised, his eyes bright and a smile just starting to show,” niece Maureen Seliger said on Facebook. Jeffrey Schaub, bishop of the Grand Blanc church, said in a video posted Monday that the attack has left the community reeling.”As you can expect, our members are quite shaken in spirit and in body,” he said. “And it hurts.”There has been an outpouring of support from different faith communities, he said. “It was very humbling to see how much good there is in the world today and that, above all, we are all children of the same Father in heaven,” he said, with a tremor in his voice.Sanford drove his truck into the church’s brick wall while members were gathered inside Sunday morning. He apparently used gas to start the fire and also had explosive devices, said James Dier of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.Flames and smoke poured from the church for hours after the attack.Jerry Eaton, 78, who lives across the street, sheltered seven people who fled the church, including a mother with her four young children. He was watching television when he heard the shooting.”I’ve done a lot of hunting, so I know the sound of gunfire,” he said. “As much as I didn’t want to believe it, that’s exactly what it sounded like.” White reported from Detroit. Associated Press reporter John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed to this report.

    GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, Mich. —

    The man who opened fire in a Michigan church and killed four people while setting it ablaze long harbored hatred toward the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to longtime friends, and told a stranger who showed up at his door days before that attack that Mormons were the “Antichrist.”

    The suspect, identified as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, began making those sentiments known years ago following his return from Utah, where he dated but later broke up with a girlfriend who was a member of the Mormon faith, two childhood friends said Tuesday. Sanford had moved to Utah after leaving the Marines and told his friends he had become addicted to methamphetamines.

    No longer the happy-go-lucky kid who was voted class clown of their graduating class, Sanford routinely spouted off about his grievances against the church, his friends said. The first time they heard it was at a wedding 13 years ago.

    “We were like, ‘Come on, we don’t want to hear this,’” said Bobby Kalush, who grew up down the road from Sanford. “When he came back from Utah, he was a completely different person.”

    Just six days before Sunday’s attack, those grudges were still boiling at the surface, said Kris Johns, a city council candidate who described a bizarre brush with Sanford while door-knocking for his campaign.

    The two were speaking at Sanford’s home in Burton about gun rights when Sanford physically leaned in, Johns said, and asked, “What do you know about Mormons?”

    For close to 15 minutes, Sanford spoke in controlled and calm tones about the Mormon faith, saying he was concerned about their beliefs while expressing that he was a Christian. Sanford then said he believed that Mormons are the “Antichrist,” according to Johns.

    “That’s something I’ll never forget,” he said.

    Police have released very few details about Sanford, who died after being shot by officers, and have refused to discuss what might have motivated the attack at the church, which was reduced to rubble in Grand Blanc Township, about 60 miles north of Detroit.

    On Tuesday, Sanford’s family released a statement through a lawyer, expressing condolences. “No words can adequately convey our sorrow for the victims and their families,” they said.

    Sanford served four years in the Marine Corps after enlisting in 2004 and deployed once to Iraq for seven months, according to military records. His commander during the deployment, David Hochheimer, said the unit never saw combat or incoming fire. “It was a relatively quiet time,” he said on Tuesday.

    Sanford moved to Utah shortly after leaving the military. His friends said they noticed a change after he moved back home, thinking his battle with addiction was to blame. Kalush said his friend was no longer the “short, stocky ball of energy” who once bought dozens of flowers to give out to girls before the homecoming dance.

    Around bonfires with friends, it wasn’t unusual for Sanford to start talking about how Mormons were going to take over, said Frances Tersigni, who along with his twin brother was among Sanford’s best friends.

    “It was just so random. It was like, ‘Why Mormons dude?’” Tersigni said. “It’s hard to explain. We didn’t take it serious.”

    But there were no signs that he was a threat to anyone, Tersigni said. An avid hunter, Sanford was married now and raising a child at home.

    “He never once, never, said ‘I’ve got to do something,’” he said. “There’s a Jake we all knew, and there was one who was hidden. It wasn’t apparent to us.”

    Federal investigators remained at the church Tuesday as heavy machinery began moving debris from the church.

    Authorities have not yet released the names of the four people who died or the eight people — ages 6 to 78 — who were wounded and expected to survive. Among the wounded were a father and his young son, according to a GoFundMe post.

    One of those who died was being remembered as a grandfather who adored spending time with his family. John Bond, a Navy veteran, was well-known in the community and loved golfing and trains, according to friends organizing fundraising for the family.

    Another victim was identified online by family as Pat Howard.

    “Uncle Pat was so many things. … In my mind I see him mid conversation, his eyebrows raised, his eyes bright and a smile just starting to show,” niece Maureen Seliger said on Facebook.

    Jeffrey Schaub, bishop of the Grand Blanc church, said in a video posted Monday that the attack has left the community reeling.

    “As you can expect, our members are quite shaken in spirit and in body,” he said. “And it hurts.”

    There has been an outpouring of support from different faith communities, he said. “It was very humbling to see how much good there is in the world today and that, above all, we are all children of the same Father in heaven,” he said, with a tremor in his voice.

    Sanford drove his truck into the church’s brick wall while members were gathered inside Sunday morning. He apparently used gas to start the fire and also had explosive devices, said James Dier of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

    Flames and smoke poured from the church for hours after the attack.

    Jerry Eaton, 78, who lives across the street, sheltered seven people who fled the church, including a mother with her four young children. He was watching television when he heard the shooting.

    “I’ve done a lot of hunting, so I know the sound of gunfire,” he said. “As much as I didn’t want to believe it, that’s exactly what it sounded like.”

    White reported from Detroit. Associated Press reporter John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed to this report.

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  • 3 killed and 5 injured in North Carolina waterfront bar shooting

    A shooting at a picturesque, seaside town in North Carolina that left three people dead and five others injured was a “highly premeditated” attack, police said Sunday.Police Chief Todd Coring said at a press conference Sunday that Nigel Edge of Oak Island is accused of opening fire from a boat into a crowd gathered at American Fish Company in Southport. Coring said the location was “targeted” but did not elaborate.The shooting, which erupted about 9:30 p.m. Saturday, took place along a popular stretch of bars and restaurants in the historic port town about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Wilmington. Investigators said Edge piloted a small boat close to shore, stopped briefly, fired, and then sped away.Edge is charged with three counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree murder and five counts of assault with a deadly weapon. He could face additional charges, Coring said.“We understand this suspect identifies as a combat veteran. He self-identifies. Injured in the line of duty is what he’s saying, he suffers from PTSD,” Coring said, referring to post-traumatic stress disorder.Edge is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday, District Attorney Jon David said. He is being held without bond.Among the five people hospitalized with injuries, at least one “is now clinging for their life,” David said.It was not immediately known whether Edge has an attorney to speak on his behalf. No attorney was listed on court documents.Roughly half an hour after the shooting, a U.S. Coast Guard crew spotted a person matching the suspect’s description pulling a boat from the water at a public ramp on Oak Island. The person was detained and turned over to Southport police for questioning, officials said.Investigators from multiple agencies — including the State Bureau of Investigation and the Coast Guard — remained on the water and at the scene Sunday collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses.Officials did not immediately release the names of those killed.

    SOUTHPORT, N.C. —

    A shooting at a picturesque, seaside town in North Carolina that left three people dead and five others injured was a “highly premeditated” attack, police said Sunday.

    Police Chief Todd Coring said at a press conference Sunday that Nigel Edge of Oak Island is accused of opening fire from a boat into a crowd gathered at American Fish Company in Southport. Coring said the location was “targeted” but did not elaborate.

    The shooting, which erupted about 9:30 p.m. Saturday, took place along a popular stretch of bars and restaurants in the historic port town about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Wilmington. Investigators said Edge piloted a small boat close to shore, stopped briefly, fired, and then sped away.

    Edge is charged with three counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree murder and five counts of assault with a deadly weapon. He could face additional charges, Coring said.

    “We understand this suspect identifies as a combat veteran. He self-identifies. Injured in the line of duty is what he’s saying, he suffers from PTSD,” Coring said, referring to post-traumatic stress disorder.

    Edge is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday, District Attorney Jon David said. He is being held without bond.

    Among the five people hospitalized with injuries, at least one “is now clinging for their life,” David said.

    It was not immediately known whether Edge has an attorney to speak on his behalf. No attorney was listed on court documents.

    Roughly half an hour after the shooting, a U.S. Coast Guard crew spotted a person matching the suspect’s description pulling a boat from the water at a public ramp on Oak Island. The person was detained and turned over to Southport police for questioning, officials said.

    Investigators from multiple agencies — including the State Bureau of Investigation and the Coast Guard — remained on the water and at the scene Sunday collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses.

    Officials did not immediately release the names of those killed.

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  • Large Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv kills 4 and wounds at least 10

    Russia unleashed a barrage of drones and missiles on Ukraine overnight into Sunday, killing at least four people, with the capital city of Kyiv suffering the heaviest assault.This is the first major bombardment since an air attack on Kyiv left at least 21 people dead last month.Kyiv bears the brunt of the attackTymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Administration, confirmed Sunday’s casualties via Telegram and said 10 others were wounded in the attack that targeted civilian areas across the city. A 12-year-old girl was among the dead. Thick black smoke could be seen rising from a blast near the city center.“The Russians have restarted the child death counter,” Tkachenko wrote on Telegram.Russia fired a total of 595 exploding drones and decoys and 48 missiles, Ukraine’s air force said Sunday. Of those, air defenses shot down or jammed 566 drones and 45 missiles.Besides Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the bombardment targeted the regions of Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, and Odesa. Zelenskyy wrote on X that at least 40 people were wounded across the country. Later, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry stated the number of the wounded rose to 70, with over a hundred civilian objects damaged.Zaporizhzhia’s regional head, Ivan Fedorov, said three children were among the 27 wounded in the region, adding that over two dozen buildings were damaged in the capital that bears the same name.“This vile attack came virtually (at) the close of UN General Assembly week, and this is exactly how Russia declares its true position. Moscow wants to keep fighting and killing, and it deserves the toughest pressure from the world,” Zelenskyy wrote.Speaking at the U.N. General Assembly, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov insisted to world leaders Saturday that his nation doesn’t intend to attack Europe but will mount a “decisive response” to any aggression.Residents shakenThe strikes that began overnight and continued after dawn on Sunday also targeted residential buildings, civilian infrastructure, a medical facility and a kindergarten, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, who also said damage was reported at more than 20 locations across the capital.At Kyiv’s central train station, passengers arrived to the crackle of anti-aircraft gunfire and the low buzz of attack drones. Mostly women, they waited quietly in a platform underpass until the air raid alert ended. Parents checked the news on their phones while children played online games.“The sky has turned black again,” said one woman at the station, who gave only her first name, Erika. “It’s happening a lot.”Ilona Kovalenko, a 38-year-old resident of a five-story building struck in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district, told The Associated Press she woke up because of the explosion, which shattered windows.“A neighbor kept knocking on our door. She was completely covered in blood and shouting, ‘help, save my daughter,’” said Kovalenko, who fled the building with her grandmother after the strike.Oleksandra, the neighbor’s daughter, was the 12-year-old killed in the attack.“Sadly, she died on the spot,” Kovalenko said. “We are in shock, to be honest.”Another multi-story residential building was heavily damaged by the attack. Emergency services personnel used power saws to clear the debris. Piles of glass littered nearby sidewalks as building residents, some looking shaken, sat on benches.Russian officials did not immediately comment on the attacks.Polish military responses triggeredThe assault also triggered military responses in neighboring Poland, where fighter jets were deployed early Sunday morning as Russia struck targets in western Ukraine, according to the Polish armed forces.Polish military officials characterized these defensive measures as “preventative.”International concerns have mounted recently that the fighting could spread beyond Ukraine’s borders as European countries rebuked Russia for what they said were provocations. The incidents have included Russian drones landing on Polish soil and Russian fighter aircraft entering Estonian airspace.Russia denied its planes entered Estonian airspace and said none of its drones targeted Poland.The latest bombardment follows President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s announcement Saturday of what he called a “mega deal” for weapons purchases from the United States. The $90 billion package includes both the major arms agreement and a separate “drone deal” for Ukrainian-made drones that the U.S. will purchase directly.Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 41 Ukrainian drones overnight into Sunday. Morton reported from London.

    KYIV —

    Russia unleashed a barrage of drones and missiles on Ukraine overnight into Sunday, killing at least four people, with the capital city of Kyiv suffering the heaviest assault.

    This is the first major bombardment since an air attack on Kyiv left at least 21 people dead last month.

    Kyiv bears the brunt of the attack

    Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Administration, confirmed Sunday’s casualties via Telegram and said 10 others were wounded in the attack that targeted civilian areas across the city. A 12-year-old girl was among the dead. Thick black smoke could be seen rising from a blast near the city center.

    “The Russians have restarted the child death counter,” Tkachenko wrote on Telegram.

    Russia fired a total of 595 exploding drones and decoys and 48 missiles, Ukraine’s air force said Sunday. Of those, air defenses shot down or jammed 566 drones and 45 missiles.

    Besides Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the bombardment targeted the regions of Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, and Odesa. Zelenskyy wrote on X that at least 40 people were wounded across the country. Later, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry stated the number of the wounded rose to 70, with over a hundred civilian objects damaged.

    Zaporizhzhia’s regional head, Ivan Fedorov, said three children were among the 27 wounded in the region, adding that over two dozen buildings were damaged in the capital that bears the same name.

    “This vile attack came virtually (at) the close of UN General Assembly week, and this is exactly how Russia declares its true position. Moscow wants to keep fighting and killing, and it deserves the toughest pressure from the world,” Zelenskyy wrote.

    Speaking at the U.N. General Assembly, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov insisted to world leaders Saturday that his nation doesn’t intend to attack Europe but will mount a “decisive response” to any aggression.

    Residents shaken

    The strikes that began overnight and continued after dawn on Sunday also targeted residential buildings, civilian infrastructure, a medical facility and a kindergarten, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, who also said damage was reported at more than 20 locations across the capital.

    At Kyiv’s central train station, passengers arrived to the crackle of anti-aircraft gunfire and the low buzz of attack drones. Mostly women, they waited quietly in a platform underpass until the air raid alert ended. Parents checked the news on their phones while children played online games.

    “The sky has turned black again,” said one woman at the station, who gave only her first name, Erika. “It’s happening a lot.”

    Ilona Kovalenko, a 38-year-old resident of a five-story building struck in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district, told The Associated Press she woke up because of the explosion, which shattered windows.

    “A neighbor kept knocking on our door. She was completely covered in blood and shouting, ‘help, save my daughter,’” said Kovalenko, who fled the building with her grandmother after the strike.

    Oleksandra, the neighbor’s daughter, was the 12-year-old killed in the attack.

    “Sadly, she died on the spot,” Kovalenko said. “We are in shock, to be honest.”

    Another multi-story residential building was heavily damaged by the attack. Emergency services personnel used power saws to clear the debris. Piles of glass littered nearby sidewalks as building residents, some looking shaken, sat on benches.

    Russian officials did not immediately comment on the attacks.

    Polish military responses triggered

    The assault also triggered military responses in neighboring Poland, where fighter jets were deployed early Sunday morning as Russia struck targets in western Ukraine, according to the Polish armed forces.

    Polish military officials characterized these defensive measures as “preventative.”

    International concerns have mounted recently that the fighting could spread beyond Ukraine’s borders as European countries rebuked Russia for what they said were provocations. The incidents have included Russian drones landing on Polish soil and Russian fighter aircraft entering Estonian airspace.

    Russia denied its planes entered Estonian airspace and said none of its drones targeted Poland.

    The latest bombardment follows President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s announcement Saturday of what he called a “mega deal” for weapons purchases from the United States. The $90 billion package includes both the major arms agreement and a separate “drone deal” for Ukrainian-made drones that the U.S. will purchase directly.

    Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 41 Ukrainian drones overnight into Sunday.

    Morton reported from London.


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  • Airstrikes and gunfire kill at least 59 people in Gaza as pressure grows for ceasefire, hostage deal

    Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least 59 people across Gaza, health officials said Saturday, as international pressure grows for a ceasefire and hostage return deal while Israel’s leader remained defiant about continuing the war.Related video above: Palestinian president speaks by video at UNAmong the dead were those hit by two strikes in the Nuseirat refugee camp — nine from the same family in a house and, later, 15 in the same camp, including women and children, according to staff at al-Awda Hospital, where the bodies were brought. Five others were killed when a strike hit a tent for the displaced, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the dead.Israel’s army said it was not aware of anyone being killed by gunfire Saturday in southern Gaza, nor of a strike in the Nuseirat area during the time and at the location provided by the hospital.The director of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City told The Associated Press that medical teams there were concerned about Israeli “tanks approaching the vicinity of the hospital,” restricting access to the facility where 159 patients are being treated.“The bombardment has not stopped for a single moment,” Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiya said.He added that 14 premature babies were treated in incubators in Helou Hospital, though the head of neonatal intensive care there, Dr. Nasser Bulbul, has said that the facility’s main gate was closed because of drones flying over the building. Netanyahu and Trump scheduled to meet as pressure growsThe attacks came hours after a defiant Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told fellow world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly Friday that his nation “must finish the job” against Hamas in Gaza.Netanyahu’s words, aimed as much at his increasingly divided domestic audience as the global one, began after dozens of delegates from multiple nations walked out of the U.N. General Assembly hall en masse Friday morning as he began speaking.International pressure on Israel to end the war is increasing, as is Israel’s isolation, with a growing list of countries, including the United Kingdom, France and Australia, deciding recently to recognize Palestinian statehood — something Israel rejects.A U.N. commission of inquiry recently determined that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.Countries have been lobbying U.S. President Donald Trump to press Israel for a ceasefire. On Friday, Trump told reporters on the White House lawn that he believes the U.S. is close to achieving a deal on easing fighting in Gaza that “will get the hostages back” and “end the war.”Trump and Netanyahu are scheduled to meet Monday, and Trump said on social media Friday that “very inspired and productive discussions” and “intense negotiations” about Gaza are ongoing with countries in the region.Yet, Israel is pressing ahead with another major ground operation in Gaza City, which experts say is experiencing famine. More than 300,000 people have fled, but up to 700,000 are still there, many because they can’t afford to relocate.Hospitals are short on supplies and targeted by airstrikesThe strikes Saturday morning demolished a house in Gaza City’s Tufah neighborhood, killing at least 11 people, more than half of them women and children, according to Al-Ahly Hospital, where the bodies were brought. Four other people were killed when an airstrike hit their homes in the Shati refugee camp, according to Shifa Hospital. Six other Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire while seeking aid in southern and central Gaza, according to the Nasser and Al Awda hospitals.Hospitals and health clinics in Gaza City are on the brink of collapse. Nearly two weeks into the offensive, two clinics have been destroyed by airstrikes, two hospitals shut down after being damaged and others are barely functioning, with medicine, equipment, food and fuel in short supply, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.Many patients and staff have been forced to flee hospitals, leaving behind only a few doctors and nurses to tend to children in incubators or other patients too ill to move.On Friday, aid group Doctors Without Borders said it was forced to suspend activities in Gaza City. The group said Israeli tanks were less than a kilometer (half a mile) from its facilities, creating an “unacceptable level of risk” for its staff.Meanwhile, the food situation in the north has also worsened, as Israel has halted aid deliveries through its crossing into northern Gaza since Sept. 12 and has increasingly rejected U.N. requests to bring supplies from southern Gaza into the north, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 65,000 people and wounded more than 167,000 others, Gaza’s Health Ministry said. It doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants, but says women and children make up around half the fatalities. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, but U.N. agencies and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.Israel’s campaign was triggered when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. Forty-eight captives remain in Gaza, around 20 of them believed by Israel to be alive, after most of the rest were freed in ceasefires or other deals. Magdy reported from Cairo, Egypt.

    DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip —

    Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least 59 people across Gaza, health officials said Saturday, as international pressure grows for a ceasefire and hostage return deal while Israel’s leader remained defiant about continuing the war.

    Related video above: Palestinian president speaks by video at UN

    Among the dead were those hit by two strikes in the Nuseirat refugee camp — nine from the same family in a house and, later, 15 in the same camp, including women and children, according to staff at al-Awda Hospital, where the bodies were brought. Five others were killed when a strike hit a tent for the displaced, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the dead.

    Israel’s army said it was not aware of anyone being killed by gunfire Saturday in southern Gaza, nor of a strike in the Nuseirat area during the time and at the location provided by the hospital.

    The director of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City told The Associated Press that medical teams there were concerned about Israeli “tanks approaching the vicinity of the hospital,” restricting access to the facility where 159 patients are being treated.

    “The bombardment has not stopped for a single moment,” Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiya said.

    He added that 14 premature babies were treated in incubators in Helou Hospital, though the head of neonatal intensive care there, Dr. Nasser Bulbul, has said that the facility’s main gate was closed because of drones flying over the building.

    Netanyahu and Trump scheduled to meet as pressure grows

    The attacks came hours after a defiant Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told fellow world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly Friday that his nation “must finish the job” against Hamas in Gaza.

    Netanyahu’s words, aimed as much at his increasingly divided domestic audience as the global one, began after dozens of delegates from multiple nations walked out of the U.N. General Assembly hall en masse Friday morning as he began speaking.

    International pressure on Israel to end the war is increasing, as is Israel’s isolation, with a growing list of countries, including the United Kingdom, France and Australia, deciding recently to recognize Palestinian statehood — something Israel rejects.

    A U.N. commission of inquiry recently determined that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

    Countries have been lobbying U.S. President Donald Trump to press Israel for a ceasefire. On Friday, Trump told reporters on the White House lawn that he believes the U.S. is close to achieving a deal on easing fighting in Gaza that “will get the hostages back” and “end the war.”

    Trump and Netanyahu are scheduled to meet Monday, and Trump said on social media Friday that “very inspired and productive discussions” and “intense negotiations” about Gaza are ongoing with countries in the region.

    Yet, Israel is pressing ahead with another major ground operation in Gaza City, which experts say is experiencing famine. More than 300,000 people have fled, but up to 700,000 are still there, many because they can’t afford to relocate.

    Hospitals are short on supplies and targeted by airstrikes

    The strikes Saturday morning demolished a house in Gaza City’s Tufah neighborhood, killing at least 11 people, more than half of them women and children, according to Al-Ahly Hospital, where the bodies were brought. Four other people were killed when an airstrike hit their homes in the Shati refugee camp, according to Shifa Hospital. Six other Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire while seeking aid in southern and central Gaza, according to the Nasser and Al Awda hospitals.

    Hospitals and health clinics in Gaza City are on the brink of collapse. Nearly two weeks into the offensive, two clinics have been destroyed by airstrikes, two hospitals shut down after being damaged and others are barely functioning, with medicine, equipment, food and fuel in short supply, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

    Many patients and staff have been forced to flee hospitals, leaving behind only a few doctors and nurses to tend to children in incubators or other patients too ill to move.

    On Friday, aid group Doctors Without Borders said it was forced to suspend activities in Gaza City. The group said Israeli tanks were less than a kilometer (half a mile) from its facilities, creating an “unacceptable level of risk” for its staff.

    Meanwhile, the food situation in the north has also worsened, as Israel has halted aid deliveries through its crossing into northern Gaza since Sept. 12 and has increasingly rejected U.N. requests to bring supplies from southern Gaza into the north, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

    Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 65,000 people and wounded more than 167,000 others, Gaza’s Health Ministry said. It doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants, but says women and children make up around half the fatalities. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, but U.N. agencies and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

    Israel’s campaign was triggered when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. Forty-eight captives remain in Gaza, around 20 of them believed by Israel to be alive, after most of the rest were freed in ceasefires or other deals.

    Magdy reported from Cairo, Egypt.

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